GIFT   OF 
Elisabeth  Whitney  Putnai 


_ 


A 


LIFE 


OF 


GEN.  PUTNAM. 


AN 

ESSAY 

ON  THE 

LIFE 

OF  THE 

HONOURABLE  MAJOR  GENERAL 

ISRAEL  PUTNAM 

ADDRESSED    TO 
THE     STATE     SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI     IS 

CONNECTICUT, 
And  first  published  by  their  order. 

BY  COL.  DAVID   HUMPHREYS. 

»\ 

WITH 

NOTES  AND  ADDITIONS 


WITH    AIT 

APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING  AN 
HISTORICAL    AND   TOPOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCH 

OF 


BY  S.  SWETT. 


BOSTON : 

PUBLISHED  BY  SAMUEL  AVERT, 

*Vtf.  89  Court  Street?  *  ^'  ;• 
1818.  IS  , 


ro  THE 


HON.  COL.  JEREMIAH  WADSWORTH, 

President  of  the  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati 
in  Connecticut,  &c. 


MY  DEAR  SIR, 

UNAVOIDABLE  absence  will  prevent  me 
from  performing  the  grateful  task  assigned 
me  by  the  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  on 
the  fourth  day  of  July  next.  Though  I  can 
not  personally  address  them,  I  wish  to  demon 
strate,  by  some  token  of  affectionate  remem 
brance,  the  sense  I  entertain  of  the  honour 
they  have  more  than  once  conferred  upon  me 
by  their  suffrages. 

Meditating  in  what  manner  to  accomplish 
this  object,  it  occurred  to  me,  that  an  attempt 
to  preserve  the  actions  of  General  Putnam,  in 
the  archives  of  our  State  Society,  would  be 
acceptable  to  its  members,  as  they  had  all 
served  with  great  satisfaction  under  his  imme 
diate  orders.  An  essay  on  the  life  of  a  per- 


12454 


.(?.  .-  VLBT;TER;  T0    COLONEL    WADSWORTH. 

son  so  elevated  in  military  rank,  and  so  con 
versant  in  extraordinary  scenes,  could  not  be 
destitute  of  amusement  and  instruction,  and 
would  possess  the  advantage  of  presenting  for 
imitation  a  respectable  model  of  public  and 
private  virtues. 

General  Putnam  is  universally  acknowledg 
ed  to  have  been  as  brave  and  as  honest  a  man 
as  ever  America  produced;  but  the  distin 
guishing  features  of  his  character,  and  the  par 
ticular  transactions  of  his  life,  are  but  imper 
fectly  known.  He  seems  to  have  been  form 
ed  on  purpose  for  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 
His  native  courage,  unshaken  integrity,  and 
established  reputation  as  a  soldier,  were  ne 
cessary  in  the  early  stages  of  our  opposition  to 
the  designs  of  Great  Britain,  and  gave  un 
bounded  confidence  to  our  troops  in  their  first 
conflicts  in  the  field  of  battle. 

The  enclosed  manuscript  justly  claims  in 
dulgence  for  its  venial  errors,  as  it  is  the  first 
effort  in  Biography  that  has  been  made  on 
this  continent.  The  attempt,  I  am  conscious, 
is  laudable,  whatever  may  be  the  failure  in 
point  of  execution. 

I  am  happy  to  find  the  Society  of  the  Cin 
cinnati  is  now  generally  regarded  in  a  favoura- 


LETTER    TO    COLONEL    WADSWORTH.  7 

ble  manner.  Mankind,  with  few  exceptions, 
are  disposed  to  do  justice  to  the  motives  on 
which  it  was  founded.  For  ourselves,  we 
can  never  recall  to  mind  the  occasion,  without 
feeling  the  most  tender  emotions  of  friendship 
and  sensibility.  At  the  dissolution  of  the  ar 
my,  when  we  retired  to  separate  walks  of  life, 
from  the  toils  of  a  successful  war,  in  which  we 
had  been  associated  during  a  very  important 
part  of  our  lives,  the  pleasing  idea,  and  the 
fond  hope  of  meeting  once  a  year,  which  gave 
birth  to  our  fraternal  institution,  were  necessa 
ry  consolations  to  sooth  the  pangs  that  tore 
our  bosoms  at  the  melancholy  hour  of  parting. 
When  our  hands  touched,  perhaps  for  the  last 
time,  and  our  tongues  refused  to  perform  their 
office  in  bidding  farewell,  heaven  witnessed 
and  approved  the  purity  of  our  intentions  in 
the  ardour  of  our  affections.  May  we  per 
severe  in  the  union  of  our  friendship,  and  the 
exertion  of  our  benevolence;  regardless  of  the 
censures  of  jealous  suspicion,  which  charges 
our  designs  with  selfishness,  and  ascribes  our 
actions  to  improper  motives;  while  we  real 
ize  sentiments  of  a  nobler  nature  in  our  anni 
versary  festivities,  and  our  hearts  dilate  with 
an  honest  joy,  in  opening  the  hand  of  benefi- 


LETTER    TO    COLONEL    WADSWORTH. 

cence  to  the  indigent  widow  and  unprotected 
orphan  of  our  departed  friends. 

I  pray  you,  my  dear  Sir,  to  present  my 
most  respectful  compliments  to  the  members 
of  the  Society,  and  to  assure  them,  on  my 
part,  that  whensoever  it  shall  be  in  my  power, 
I  shall  esteem  it  the  felicity  of  my  life  to  at 
tend  their  anniversaries. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

With  sentiments  of  the  highest  consideration  and 

esteem, 
Your  most  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

D.  HUMPHREYS. 

Monnt-Vernon,  in  Virginia, 
June  4, 1788. 


AN 

ESSAY 

ON  THE 

LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 


To  TREAT  of  recent  transactions  and  per 
sons  still  living,  is  always  a  delicate,  and  fre 
quently  a  thankless  office.  Yet,  while  the  par 
tiality  of  friends,  or  the  malignity  of  enemies, 
decides  with  rashness  on  every  delineation  of 
character,  or  recital  of  circumstances,  a  con 
solation  remains,  that  distant  nations,  and  re 
moter  ages,  free  from  the  influence  of  preju 
dice  or  passion,  will  judge  with  impartiality, 
and  appreciate  with  justice.  We  have  fallen 
upon  an  era  singularly  prolific  in  extraordi 
nary  personages,  and  dignified  by  splendid 
events.  Much  is  expected  from  the  selections 
of  the  judicious  biographer,  as  well  as  from 
the  labours  of  the  faithful  historian.  What 
ever  prudential  reasons  may  now  occur  to 
postpone  the  portrait  of  our  own  times,  the 
difficulties  which  oppose  themselves  to  the 
execution,  instead  of  being  diminished,  will  in 
crease  with  the  lapse  of  years.  Every  day 
will  extinguish  some  life  that  was  dear  to  fame%, 
2 


10       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

and  obliterate  the  memorial  of  some  deed 
which  would  have  constituted  the  delight  and 
admiration  of  the  world. 

So  transient  and  indistinguishable  are  the 
traits  of  character,  so  various  and  inexplicable 
the  springs  of  action,  so  obscure  and  perisha 
ble  the  remembrance  of  human  affairs,  that, 
unless  attempts  are  made  to  sketch  the  pic 
ture,  while  the  present  generation  is  living,  the 
likeness  will  be  for  ever  lost,  or  only  preserv 
ed  by  a  vague  recollection ;  disguised  perhaps, 
by  the  whimsical  colourings  of  a  creative  im 
agination. 

It  will,  doubtless,  hereafter  be  an  object  of 
regret,  that  those  who,  having  themselves 
been  conspicuous  actors  on  the  theatre  of  pub 
lic  life,  and  who,  in  conjunction  with  a  knowl 
edge  of  facts,  possess  abilities  to  paint  those 
characters,  and  describe  those  events  which, 
during  the  progress  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  interested  and  astonished  mankind,  should 
feel  an  insuperable  reluctance  to  assume  the 
task — a  task  which,  if  executed  with  fidelity, 
must,  from  the  dignity  of  its  subject,  become 
grateful  to  the  patriots  of  all  nations,  and 
profitable  in  example  to  the  remotest  posteri 
ty.  Equally  severe  will  be  the  mortification 
of  contemplating  the  reveries  and  fictions 
which  have  been  substituted  by  hacknied  writ 
ers  in  the  place  of  historical  facts.  Nor  should 
we  suppress  our  indignation  against  that  class 
of  professional  authors,  who,  placed  in  the 
vale  of  penury  and  obscurity,  at  an  immense 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       11 

distance  from  the  scenes  of  action,  and  all  op 
portunities  of  acquiring*  the  necessary  docu 
ments,  "with  insufferable  effrontery,  obtrude 
their  fallacious  and  crude  performances  on  a 
credulous  public.  Did  the  result  of  their  lu 
cubrations  terminate  only  in  relieving  their  own 
distresses,  or  gratifying  their  individual  vanity, 
it  might  be  passed  in  sihent  contempt.  But 
the  effect  is  extensive,  permanent,  and  perni 
cious.  The  lie,*  however  improbable  or 
monstrous,  which  has  once  assumed  the  sem 
blance  of  truth,  by  being  often  repeated  with 
minute  and  plausible  particulars,  is,  at  length, 
so  thoroughly  established,  as  to  obtain  uni 
versal  credit,  defy  contradiction,  and  frustrate 
every  effort  of  refutation.  Such  is  the  mis 
chief,  such  are  the  unhappy  consequences  on 
the  bewildered  mind,  that  the  reader  has  no 
alternative,  but  to  become  the  dupe  of  his 
credulity,  or  distrust  the  veracity  of  almost  all 
human  testimony.  After  having  long  been  the 
sport  of  fiction,  he  will,  perhaps,  probably  run 
into  the  opposite  extreme,  and  give  up  all  con 
fidence  in  the  annals  of  ancient  as  well  as  mod- 
<  rn  times;  and  thus  the  easy  believer  of  fine 
fables  and  marvellous  stories  will  find,  at  last, 
his  historical  faith  change  to  scepticism,  and 
end  in  infidelity. 


*  The  writer  hsd  here  particularly  in  his  ere,  the  Rhapsody 
palmed  upon  the  public,  under  the  name  of  a  History,  by  a  certain 
Frenchman,  called  D'Aubertoiul:  I'd  haps  so  muchYalsehood,  fol 
ly  and  calumny  was  never  before  accumulated  in  a  single  pevforfc 
•nee. 


1.2       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

The  numerous  errors  and  falsehoods  rela 
tive  to  the  birth  and  achievements  of  Major- 
General  Putnam,  which  have  (at  a  former  pe 
riod)  been  circulated  with  assiduity  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  the  uncertainty 
which  appeared  to  prevail  with  respect  to  his 
real  character,*  first  produced  the  resolution 
of  writing  this  essay  on  his  life,  and  induced 
the  Editor  to  obtainf  materials  from  that  hero 
himself.  If  communications  of  such  authentici 
ty,  if  personal  intimacy  as  an  aid-de-camp  to 
that  General,  or  if  subsequent  military  em 
ployments,  which  afforded  access  to  sourcesj 

*  The  following  lines  are  extracted  from  a  poem,  entitled  "  Th£ 
Prospect  of  America:"  written  by  the  late  ingenious  Dr.  Ladd. 

'  Hail  Putnam  !  hail,  thou  venerable  name  ! 

*  Tho'  dark  oblrvion  threats  thy  mighty  fame, 

'  It  threats  in  vain — for  long  shall  thou  be  known, 

*  Who  first  in  virtue  and  in  battle  shone. 

*  When  fourscore  years  had  blanch'd  thy  laurelTd  head, 
;  Strong  in  thiue  age,  the  flame  of  war  was  spread.*' 

On  which  Dr.  Ladd  made  this  note : 

"  The  brare  Putnam  seems  to  have  been  almost  obscured  amidst 
"  the  glare  of  succeeding  worthies  ;  but  his  early  and  gallant  ser- 
"  tices  entitle  him  to  an  everlasting  remembrance*" 

Other  bards  have  also  asserted  the  glory  of  this  venerable  vete 
ran.  In  the  first  concise  review  of  the  principal  American  heroes 
who  signalized  themselves  in  the  last  war,  the  same  character  is 
thus  represented : 

"  There  stood  stern  Putnam,  seam'd  with  many  a  scar, 
"The  veteran  honors  of  an  early  war." 

The  Vision  of  Columbus.    JBook  V. 

•]'  The  editor  seizes  with  eagerness  an  opportunity  of  acknowl 
edging  his  obligations  to  Dr.  Albigence  Waldo,  who  was  so  obliging 
as  to  commit  to  writing  many  anecdotes,  communicated  to  him  by 
General  Putnam  in  the  course  of  the  present  year. 

4.  A  multitude  or  proofs  might  be  produced  to  demonstrate  that 
military  facts  cannot  alvays  be  accurately  known  but  by  the  com 
mander  in  chief  xnd  his  confidential  officers.  The  Marquis  d« 


LIFE    OF    GENERAL    PUTNAM.  13 

of  intelligence  not  open  to  others,  give  the 
writer  any  advantages,  the  unbiassed  mind  will 
decide  how  far  they  exculpate  him  from  the 
imputations  of  that  officiousness,  ignorance  and 
presumption,  which,  in  others,  have  been  re 
prehended  with  severity.  He  only  wishes  that 
a  premature  and  unfavourable  construction 
may  not  be  formed  of  his  motive  or  object. 
Should  this  essay  have  any  influence  in  correct- 

Chnsfclleux  (whose  opportunity  to  acquire  genuine  information, 
respecting  those  parts  oi'tlie  American  war  which  he  hath  casually 
mentioned,  was  better  than  that  of  any  other  writer)  gives  an  ac 
count  of  a  grand  forage  which  General  Heath  ordered  to  be  made 
towards  King's-bridge  in  the  autumn  of  1780.  The  Marquis,  who 
vaa  present  M  hen  the  det:;chmenl  marched,  and  to  whom  General 
Heath  shewed  the  orders  that  were  given  to  General  Stark,  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  expedition,  observes  that  he  had  never 
seen,  in  manuscript,  or  print,  more  pertinent  instructions.  Now 
ihe  fact  is,  that  this  detachment,  under  the  pretext  of  a  forage,  was 
intended  by  the  Commander  in  Chief  to  cooperate  with  the  main 
army  in  an  attempt  against  the  enemy's  posts  on  York  Island  ;  and 
that  General  Heath  himself  was  then  ignorant  of  the  real  design. 


The  Commander  in  Chief  spent  a  whole  campaign  in  ripeniug 
this  project.  Boats,  mounted  on  travelling  carriages,  were  kept 
constantly  with  the  army.  The  marquis  de  la  Fayette,  at  the 
head  of  'tbe  Light  Infantry,  was  to  have  made  the  attack  in, 
tl;e  night  on  fort  Washington.  The  period  chosen  for  this  enter 
prise  was  the  very  time,  when  the  army  were  to  break  up  their 
tump  and  march  into  winter  quarters :  so  that  the  Commander  in 
Chief,  moving  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  would  have  boon  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  with  his  whole  force,  to  have  supported  th  - 
attack.  The  cautious  manner  i;i  which  the  cooperation  on  the 
part  of  the  troops  sent  by  General  Heath,  on  the  pretended  forage, 
was  to  have  been  conducted,  will  be  understood  from  the  following 
secret  iustruction;. 

To  Brigadier  General  STARK. 

Head  Quarters,  Passaic  Falls,  JVU-.  Cl,  1760, 

"SIR, 

"  Colonel    Humphreys,  one   of   my  Aids-de-camp,  h 

"charged  by  me  with  orders  of  a  private  and  particular  nature, 

"  which  he 'is  to  deliver  to  you,  and  which  you  are  to  obey.     He 

"  will  iaform  you  of  the  necessity  of  this  mode  of  communication. 

"  I  am.  Sir,  &c. 

"  G,  WASHINGTON," 

2* 


14       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

ing  mistakes,  or  rescuing  from  oblivion  the  ac 
tions  of  that  distinguished  veteran ;  should  it 
create  an  emulation  to  copy  his  domestic,  man 
ly  and  heroic  virtues ;  or  should  it  prompt 
some  more  skilful  hand  to  portray  the  illus 
trious  group  of  patriots,  sages,  and  heroes, 
who  have  guided  our  councils,  fought  our  bat 
tles,  and  adorned  the  memorable  epocha  of 
independence^  it  will  be  an  ample  compensa- 

*'  To  Lieutenant  Colonel  DAVID  HUMPHREYS,  A.  D.  Camp. 

"SIR, 

"  You  are  immediately  to  proceed  to  West  Point,  anif 
''communicate  the  business  committed  to  you,  in  confidence,  to 
"  Major  General  Heath,  and  to  no  other  person  whatsoever:  from 
"  thence  you  will  repair  to  the  detachment  at  the  White  Plains,  on 
"  Friday  next,  taking  measures  to  prevent  their  leaving  that 
"  place  before  you  get  to  them.  And  in  the  course  of  the  suc- 
**  ceeding  night  yon  may  inform  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
'*  enterprise  in  contemplation  against  the  enemy's  posts  on  York 
"  Island. 

"  As  the  troops  are  constantly  to  lie  on  their  arms,  no  previous 
"  notice  should  be  given  :  but  they  may  be  put  in  motion  precisely 
"  at  4  o'clock,  and  commence  a  slow  and  regular  march  to  King's- 
tf  bridge,  uotil  they  shall  discover  or  be  informed  of  the  concerted 
"  signals  being  made,  when  the  march  must  be  pressed  with  the 
"  greatest  rapidity.  Parties  of  horse  should  be  sent  forward  to 
"  keep  a  look  out  for  the  signals. 

"  Although  the  maio  body  ought  to  be  kept  eompact,  patroles  of 
"horse  and  light  parties  might  be  sent  towards  East  and  West 
"  Chester:  and  upon  the  signals  being  discovered,  Sheldon's  regi- 
"  ment  and  the  Connecticut  State  troops  (which  may  also  be  put 
"  in  motion  as  soon  as  the  orders  can  be  communicated  after  4 
"  o'clock)  should  be  pushed  forward  to  intercept  any  of  the  enemy, 
"  who  may  attempt  to  gain  Frog's  Neck,  and  to  cut  off  the  Refu- 
*' gee-corps  at  Morissania.  A  few  men,  with  some  address,  may 
"  spread  such  an  alarm  as  to  prevent  aa  attempt  of  (he  enemy  to 
"  retreat  to  Frog's  Neck,  from  an  apprehension  of  surrounding 
"  parties. 

«'  You  will  communicate  these  instructions  to  the  commanding 
"officer  of  the  detachment,  who,  upon  his  approach  to  King's- 
t(  bridge,  will  receive  orders  from  me  as  early  as  possible. 

**  Should  the  signals  not  be  discovered,  the  troops  will  halt  afe 
"  least  six  miles  from  the  bridge,  until  further  intelligence  cap  be 
"  obtained. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       25 

tion  for  the  trouble,  and  excite  a  consolatory 
reflection  through  every  vicissitude  of  life. 

ISRAEL  PUTNAM,  who,  through  a  regular 
gradation  of  promotion,  became  the  senior  Ma 
jor-General  in  the  army  of  the  United  States, 
and  next  in  rank  to  General  Washington,  was 
born  at  Salem,  in  the  Province  (now  State)  of 
Massachusetts,  on  the  7th  day  of  January, 
1718.  His  father,  Captain  Joseph  Putnam, 
was  the  son  of  Mr.  John  Putnam,  who,  with 
two  brothers,  came  from  the  south  of  England, 
and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Salem. 

When  we  thus  behold  a  person,  from  the 
humble  walks  of  life,  starting  unnoticed  in  the 

"  The  absolute  necessity  of  the  most  perfect  secrecy  is  the  occa- 
rt  sion  ot'  communicating  my  orders  through  this  channel. 

"  Given  at  Head  Quarters,  Passaic  Fulk, 
"  Mi*  22 d  day  of  Nov.  1780. 

"G.  WASHINGTON." 

Never  was  a  plan  better  arranged  :  and  never  did  circumstances 
promise  more  sure  or  complete  success.  The  British  were  not 
only  unalarmed,  but  our  own  troops  were  likewise  entirely  mis 
guided  in  their  expectations.  The  accidental  intervention  of  some 
vessels  prevented  at  this  time  the  attempt  ;  which  was  more  than, 
once  resumed  afterwards.  Notwithstanding  this  favourite  project 
was  not  ultimately  effected,  it  was  evidently  not  less  bold  in  con 
ception  or  feasible  in  accomplishment,  than  that  attempted  so  suc 
cessfully  at  Trenton,  or  than  that  which  was  brought  to  so  glorious 
an  issue  in  the  successful  siege  of  York-Town. 

It  is  true  the  Marquis  de  Chastelleux,  whose  professional 
knowledge  and  fountain-head  intelligence  have  enabled  him  to  de 
scribe  several  actions  better  than  they  are  elsewhere  described, 
speaks  in  this  instance  of  an  ulterior  object ;  and  says,  that  secrets 
were  preserved  more  inviolably  in  the  American  than  in  the 
French  army.  His  words  are  : 

"C'est  que  le  secret  est  garde  Ires  exactement  a  1'armee  Amer- 
"  icaine ;  peu  de  personnes  ont  part  a  la  confiance  du  Chef,  et  en, 
"  general  on  y  parle  moins  que  dans  les  armees  Francoises  des 
"  operations  de  la  guerre,  et  de  ce  que  Ton  apnelle  «h«z  nous  /&• 
"  JVowwJfes." 


1         LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

career  of  fame,  and,  by  an  unde  via  ling  pro 
gress  through  a  life  of  honour,  arriving  at  the 
highest  dignity  in  the  state,  curiosity  is  strong 
ly  excited,  and  philosophy  loves  to  trace  the 
path  of  glory  from  the  cradle  of  obscurity  to 
the  summit  of  elevation. 

Although  our  ancestors,  the"  first  settlers  of 
this  land,  amidst  the  extreme  pressure  of  pov 
erty  and  danger,  early  instituted  schools  for  the 
education  o'f  youth  designed  for  the  learned 
professions,  yet  it  was  thought  sufficient  to  in 
struct  those  destined  to  labour  on  the  earth, 
in  reading,  writing,  and  such  rudiments  of 
arithmetic  as  might  be  requisite  for  keeping  the 
accounts  of  their  little  transactions  with  each 
other.  Few  farmers'  sons  had  more  advan 
tages,  none  less.  In  this  state  of  mediocrity  it 
was  the  lot  of  young  Putnam  to  be  placed.  His 
early  instruction  was  not  considerable,  and  the 
active  scenes  of  life  in  which  he  was  afterwards 
engaged,  prevented  the  opportunity  of  great 
literary  improvement.  His  numerous  original 
letters,  though  deficient  in  scholastic  accuracy, 
always  display  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  and 
frequently  the  strength  of  his  native  genius. 
He  had  a  certain  laconic  mode  of  expression, 
and  an  unaffected  epigrammatic  turn,  which 
characterised  most  of  his  writings. 

To  compensate  partially  for  the  deficiency 
of  education  (though  nothing  can  remove  or 
counterbalance  the  inconveniencies  experienc 
ed  from  it  in  public  life)  he  derived  from  his 
Barents  the  source  of  innumerable  advantages 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       17 

in  the  stamina  of  a  vigorous  constitution.  Na 
ture,  liberal  in  bestowing  on  him  bodily 
strength,  hardiness,  and  activity,  was  by  no 
means  parsimonious  in  mental  endowments. 
While  we  leave  the  qualities  of  the  under 
standing  to  be  -  developed  in  the  process  of 
life,  it  may  not  be  improper,  in  this  place,  to 
designate  some  of  the  circumstances  which 
were  calculated  to  distinguish  him  afterwards 
as  a  partizan  officer. 

Courage,  enterprize,  activity,  and  perse 
verance  were  the  first  characteristics  of  his 
mind.  There  is  a  kind  of  mechanical  courage, 
the  offspring  of  pride,  habit,  or  discipline,  that 
may  push  a  coward  not  only  to  perform  his 
duty,  but  even  to  venture  on  acts  of  heroism. 
Putnam's  courage  was  of  a  different  species. 
It  was  ever  attended  with  a  serenity  of  soul,  a 
clearness  of  conception,  a  degree  of  self-pos 
session,  and  a  superiority  to  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  fortune,  entirely  distinct  from  any  thing  that 
can  be  produced  by  the  ferment  of  blood,  and 
flutter  of  spirits;  which  not  unfrequently,  pre 
cipitate  men  to  action,  when  stimulated  by  in 
toxication  or  some  other  transient  exhilaration. 
The  heroic  character,  thus  founded  on  consti 
tution  and  animal  spirits,  cherished  by  educa 
tion  and  ideas  of  personal  freedom,  confirmed 
by  temperance  and  habits  of  exercise,  was 
completed  by  the  dictate  of  reason,  the  love  of 
his  country,  and  an  invincible  sense  of  duty. 
Such  were  the  qualities  and  principles  that 
enabled  him  to  meet  unappalied,  the  shafts  of 


18       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

adversity,  and  to  pass  in  triumph  through  the 
furnace  of  affliction. 

His  disposition  was  as  frank  and  generous 
as  his  mind  was  fearless  and  independent.  He 
disguised  nothing;  indeed  he  seemed  incapa 
ble  of  disguise.  Perhaps  in  the  intercourse 
he  was  ultimately  obliged  to  have  with  an  art 
ful  world,  his  sincerity,  on  some  occasions,  out 
went  his  discretion.  Although  he  had  too 
much  suavity  in  his  nature  to  commence  a 
quarrel,  he  had  too  much  sensibility  not  to  feel, 
and  too  much  honour  not  to  resent  an  intend 
ed  insult.  The  first  time  he  went  to  Boston 
he  was  insulted  for  his  rusticity  by  a  boy  of 
twice  his  size  and  age ;  after  bearing  the  sar 
casms  until  his  patience  was  worn  out,  he  chal 
lenged,  engaged,  and  vanquished  his  unman 
nerly  antagonist,  to  the  great  diversion  of  a 
crowd  of  spectators.  While  a  stripling,  his 
ambition  was  to  perform  the  labour  of  a  man, 
and  to  excel  in  athletic  diversions.  In  that 
rude,  but  masculine  age,  whenever  the  village- 
youth  assembled  on  their  usual  occasions  of 
festivity,  pitching  the  bar,  running,  leaping, 
and  wrestling  were  favourite  amusements.  At 
such  gymnastic  exercises  (in  which,  during  the 
heroic  times  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome, 
conquest  was  considered  as  the  promise  of  fu 
ture  military  fame)  he  bore  the  palm  from  al 
most  every  ring. 

Before  the  refinements  of  luxury,  and  the 
consequent  increase  of  expences  had  rendered 
the  maintenance  of  a  family  inconvenient  or 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        19 

burdensome  in  America,  the  sexes  entered  in 
to  matrimony  at  an  early  age.  Competence, 
attainable  by  all,  was  the  limit  of  pursuit. 
After  the  hardships  of  making  a  new  settle 
ment  were  overcome,  and  the  evils  of  penury 
removed,  the  inhabitants  enjoyed,  in  the  lot  of 
equality,  innocence  and  security,  scenes  equal 
ly  delightful  with  those  pictured  by  the  glow 
ing  imagination  of  the  poets  in  their  favourite 
pastoral  life,  or  fabulous  golcfen  age.  Indeed, 
the  condition  of  mankind  was  never  more  en 
viable.  Neither  disparity  of  age  and  fortune, 
nor  schemes  of  ambition  and  grandeur,  nor 
the  pride  and  avarice  of  high-minded  and  mer 
cenary  parents,  interposed  those  obstacles  to 
the  union  of  congenial  souls,  which  frequently 
in  mor.e  polished  society  prevent,  embitter  or 
destroy  all  the  felicity  of  the  connubial  state. 
Mr.  Putnam  before  he  attained  the  twenty- 
first  year  of  his  age,  married  Miss  Pope, 
daughter  of  Mr.  John  Pope  of  Salem,  by  whom 
he  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still 
living.  He  lost  the  wife  of  his  youth  in  1764. 
Some  time  after  he  married  Mrs.  Gardiner, 
widow  of  the  late  Mr.  Gardiner  of  Gardiner's 
Island,  by  whom  he  had  no  issue.  She  died 
in  1777. 

In  the  year  1739  he  removed  from  Salem  to 
Pomfiet,  an  inland  fertile  town  in  Connecticut, 
forty  miles  east  of  Hartford:  having  here  pur 
chased  a  considerable  tract  of  land  he  applied 
himself  successfully  to  agriculture. 


20       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

The  first  years,  on  a  new  farm,  are  not  how 
ever  exempt  from  disasters  and  disappoint 
ments,  whicn  can  onlj  be  remedied  by  stubborn 
and  patient  industry.  Our  farmer,  sufficiently 
occupied  in  building  an  house  and  barn,  felling 
woods,  making  fences,  sowing  grain,  planting 
orchards  and  taking  care  of  his  stock,  had  to 
encounter,  in  turn,  the  calamities  occasioned  by 
drought  in  summer,  blast  in  harvest,  loss  of 
cattle  in  winter,  and  the  desolation  of  his  sheep- 
fold  by  wolves.  In  one  night  he  had  seventy 
fine  sheep  and  goats  killed,  besides  many  lambs 
and  kids  wounded.  This  havoc  was  commit 
ted  by  a  she  wolf,  which,  with  her  annual 
whelps,  had  for  several  years  infested  the  vi 
cinity.  The  young  were  commonly  destroy 
ed  by  the  vigilance  of  the  hunters,  but  tJie  old 
one  was  too  sagacious  to  come  within  reach  of 
gunshot:  upon  being  closely  pursued  she 
would  generally  fly  to  the  western  woods,  and 
return  the  next  winter  with  another  litter  of 
whelps. 

This  wolf,  at  length  became  such  an  intol 
erable  nuisance,  that  Mr  Putnam  entered  into 
a  combination  with  five  of  his  neighbours  to 
hunt  alternately  until  they  could  destroy  her. 
Two  by  rotation,  were  to  be  constantly  in  pur 
suit.  It  was  known,  that,  having  lost  the  toes 
from  one  foot,  by  a  steel  trap,  she  made  one 
track  shorter  than  the  other.  By  this  vestige, 
the  pursuers  recognized,  in  a  light  snow,  the 
route  of  this  pernicious  animal.  Having  fol 
lowed  her  to  Connecticut  river  and  found  she 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       21 

had  turned  back  in  a  direct  course  towards 
Pomfret,  they  immediately  returned,  and  by 
ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  blood-hounds 
had  driven  her  into  a  den,  about  three  miles 
distant  from  the  house  of  Mr.  Putnam :  The 
people  soon  collected  with  dogs,  guns,  straw, 
fire  and  sulphur  to  attack  the  common  enemy. 
With  this  apparatus  several  unsuccessful  ef 
forts  were  made  to  force  her  from  the  den. 
The  hounds  came  back  badly  wounded  and 
refused  to  return.  The  smoke  of  blazing 
straw  had  no  effect.  Nor  did  the  fumes  of 
burnt  brimstone,  with  which  the  cavern  was 
filled,  compel  her  to  quit  the  retirement. 
Wearied  with  such  fruitless  attempts  (which 
had  brought  the  time  to  ten  o'clock  at  night) 
Mr.  Putnam  tried  once  more  to  make  his  dog 
enter,  but  in  vain ;  he  proposed  to  his  negro 
man  to  go  down  into  the  cavern  and  shoot  the 
wolf:  the  negro  declined  the  hazardous  ser 
vice.  Then  it  was  that  the  master,  angry 
at  the  disappointment,  and  declaring  that  he 
was  ashamed  to  have  a  coward  in  his  family, 
resolved  himself  to  destroy  the  ferocious  beast, 
lest  he  should  escape  through  some  unknown 
fissure  of  the  rock.  His  neighbours  strongly 
remonstrated  against  the  perilous  enterprize : 
but  he,  knowing  that  wild  animals  were  intimi 
dated  by  fire,  and  having  provided  several 
strips  of  birch-bark,  the  only  combustible  ma 
terial  which  he  could  obtain,  that  would  afford 
light  in  this  deep  and  darksome  cave,  prepar 
ed  for  his  descent.  Having,  accordingly,  cli- 
3 


22        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

vested  himself  of  his  coat  arid  waistcoat,  and 
having  a  long  rope  fastened  round  his  legs,  by 
which  he  might  be  pulled  back,  at  a  concert 
ed  signal,  he  entered  head  foremost,  with  the 
blazing  torch  in  his  hand. 

The  aperture  of  the  den,  on  the  east  side  of 
a  very  high  ledge   of  rocks,  is  about  two  feet 
square;  from  thence  it  descends  obliquely  fif 
teen  feet,  then  running  horizontally  about  ten 
more,  it  ascends  gradually   sixteen  feet   to 
wards  its  termination.     The  sides  of  this  sub 
terraneous  cavity  are  composed  of  smooth  and 
solid  rocks,  which  seem  to  have  been  divided 
from  each  other  by  some  former  earthquake. 
The  top  and  bottom  are  also  of  stone,  and  the 
entrance,  in  winter,  being  covered  with  ice,  is 
exceedingly  slippery.     It  is  in  no  place  high 
enough  for  a  man  to  raise  himself  upright, 
nor  in  any  part  more  than  three  feet  in  width. 
Having  groped  his  passage  to  the  horizon 
tal  part  of  the  den,  the  most  terrifying  dark 
ness  appeared  in  front  of  the  dim  circle  of 
light  afforded  by  his  torch.     It  was  silent  as 
the  house  of  death.     None  but  monsters  of 
the  desert  had  ever  before  explored  this  soli 
tary  mansion  of  horror.     He,  cautiously  pro 
ceeding  onward,  came  to  the  ascent;  which  he 
slowly  mounted  on  his  hands  and  knees  until 
he   discovered    the    glaring  eye-balls  of  the 
wolf,  who  was  sitting  at  the  extremity  of  the 
cavern.     Started    at   the    sight    of   fire,  she 
gnashed  her  teeth,  and  gave  a  sullen  growl. 
As  soon  as  he  had  made  the  necessary  discov- 


,LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       23 

cry,  he  kicked  the  rope  as  a  signal  for  pulling 
him  out.  The  people,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
den,  who  had  listened  with  painful  anxiety, 
hearing  the  growling  of  the  wolf,  and  suppos 
ing  their  friend  to  be  in  the  most  imminent 
danger,  drew  him  forth  with  such  celerity  that 
his  shirt  was  stripped  over  his  head  and  his 
skin  severely  lacerated.  After  he  had  adjust 
ed  his  clothes,  and  loaded  his  gun  with  nine 
buck-shot,  holding  a  torch  in  one  hand  and 
the  musket  in  the  other,  he  descended  the  se 
cond  time.  When  he  drew  nearer  than  before^ 
the  wolf,  assuming  a  still  more  fierce  and  ter 
rible  appearance,  howling,  rolling  her  eyes, 
snapping  her  teeth,  and  dropping  her  head 
between  her  legs,  was  evidently  in  the  atti 
tude,  and  on  the  point  of  springing  at  him.  At 
the  critical  instant  he  levelled  and  fired  at  her 
head.  Stunned  with  the  shock,  and  suffocated 
with  the  smoke,  he  immediately  found  himself 
drawn  out  of  the  cave.  But  having  refreshed 
himself,  and  permitted  the  smoke  to  dissipate, 
he  went  down  the  third  time.  Once  more  he 
came  within  sight  of  the  wolf,  who  appearing 
very  passive,  he  applied  the  torch  to  her  nose, 
and  perceiving  her  dead,  he  took  hold  of  her 
ears,  and  then  kicking  the  rope  (still  tied  round 
his  legs)  the  people  above  with  no  small  ex 
ultation  dragged  them  both  out  together. 

I  have  offered  these  facts  in  greater  detail, 
because  they  contain  a  display  of  character ; 
and  because  they  have  been  erroneously  rela 
ted  in  several  European  publications,  and  very 


24       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

much  mutilated  in  the  history  of  Connecticut, 
a  work  as  replete  with  falsehood  as  destitute 
of  genius,  lately  printed  in  London. 

Prosperity,  at  length,  began  to  attend  the 
agricultural  affairs  of  Mr.  Putnam.  He  was 
acknowledged  to  be  a  skilful  and  indefatigable 
manager.  His  fields  were  mostly  enclosed 
with  stone  walls.  His  crops  commonly  suc 
ceeded,  because  the  land  was  well  tilled  and 
manured.  His  pastures  and  meadows  became 
luxuriant  His  cattle  were  of  the  best  breed, 
and  in  good  order.  His  garden  and  fruit-trees 

C5  o 

prolific.  With  the  avails  of  the  surplusage  of 
his  produce,  foreign  articles  were  purchased. 
Within  doors  he  found  the  compensation  of 
his  labors  in  the  plenty  of  excellent  provisions, 
as  well  as  in  the  happiness  of  domestic  society. 
A  more  particular  description  of  his  transi 
tion  from  narrow  to  easy  circumstances  might 
be  given ;  but  the  mind  that  shall  have  ac 
quired  an  idea  of  the  habits  of  labour  and  sim 
plicity?  to  which  the  industrious  colonists  were 
accustomed,  will  readily  supply  the  omission. 
The  effect  of  this  gradual  acquisition  of  prop 
erty,  generally  favorable  to  individual  virtue 
and  public  felicity,  should  not  however  be 
passed  over  in  silence.  If  there  is  something 
fascinating  in  the  charra^  of  a  country  life,  from 
the  contemplation  of  beautiful  landscapes, 
there  is  likewise  something  elevating  to  the 
soul,  in  the  consciousness  of  being  lord  of  the 
soil,  and  having  the  power  of  creating  them. 
The  man  can  scarcely  be  guilty  of  a  sordid 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM        25 

action,  or  even  descend  to  an  ungenerous 
thought,  who,  removed  from  the  apprehension 
of  want,  sees  his  farm  daily  meliorating  and 
assuming  whatever  appearance  he  pleases  to 
prescribe.  This  situation  converts  the  farmer 
into  a  species  of  rural  philosopher,  by  inspir 
ing  an  honest  pride  in  his  rank  as  a  freeman, 
flattering  the  natural  propensity  for  personal 
independence,  and  nourishing  an  unlimited 
hospitality  and  philanthropy  in  his  social  char 
acter. 

But  the  time  had  now  arrived  which  was 
to  turn  the  instruments  of  husbandry  into  wea 
pons  of  hostility,  and  to  exchange  the  hunting 
of  wolves,  who  had  ravaged  the  sheep-folds, 
for  the  pursuit  after  savages,  who  had  desola 
ted  the  frontiers.  Mr.  Putnam  was  about  37 
years  old,  when  the  war  between  England  and 
France,  which  preceded  the  last,  broke  out  in 
America.  His  reputation  must  have  been 
favourably  known  to  the  government,  since 
among  the  first  troops  that  were  levied  by 
Connecticut,  in  1755,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  a  company  in  Ly man's  regiment 
cf  Provincials.  I  have  mentioned  his  age  at 
this  period  expressly  to  obviate  a  prevalent 
opinion,  that  he  was  far  advanced  in  life  when 
he  commenced  his  military  service. 

As  he  was  extremely  popular,  he  found  no 
difficulty  in  enlisting  his  complement  of  recruits 
from  the  most  hardy,  enterprizingand  respect 
able  young  men  of  his  neighbourhood.  The 
regiment  joined  the  army,  at  the  opening  of 

vJ 


26       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

the  campaign,  not  far  distant  from  Crown- 
Point.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at  camp,  he  be 
came  intimately  acquainted  with  the  famous 
partizan  Captain,  afterwards  Major  Rogers, 
with  whom  he  was  frequently  associated  in 
traversing  the  wilderness,  reconnoitering  the 
enemy's  lines,  gaining  intelligence,  and  taking 
straggling  prisoners,  as  well  as  in  beating  up 
the  quarters  and  surprising  the  advanced  pick 
ets  of  their  army.  For  these  operations  a 
corps  of  rangers  was  formed  from  the  irregu 
lars.  The  first  time  Rogers  and  Putnam 
were  detached  with  a  party  of  these  light 
troops,  it  was  the  fortune  of  the  latter  to  pre 
serve,  with  his  own  hand,  the  life  of  the  for 
mer,  and  to  cement  their  friendship  with  the 
blood  of  one  of  their  enemies. 

The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  obtain 
an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  position  and 
state  of  the  works  at  Crown-Point.  It  was 
impracticable  to  approach  with  their  party 
near  enough  for  this  purpose,  without  being 
discovered.  Alone,  the  undertaking  was  suf 
ficiently  hazardous,  on  account  of  the  swarms 
of  hostile  Indians  who  infested  the  woods. 
Our  two  partizans,  however,  left  all  their  men 
at  a  convenient  distance,  with  strict  orders  to 
continue  concealed  until  their  return.  Having 
thus  cautiously  taken  their  arrangements,  they 
advanced  with  the  profoundest  silence  in  the 
evening ;  and  lay,  during  the  night,  contiguous 
to  the  fortress.  Early  in  the  morning  they 
approached  so  close  as  to  be  able  to  give  sat- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        27 

isfactory  information  to  the  General  who  had 
sent  them,  on  the  several  points  to  which  their 
attention  had  been  directed:  but  Captain  Rog 
ers,  being  at  a  little  distance  from  Captain 
Putnam,  fortuitously  met  a  stout  Frenchman, 
who  instantly  seized  his  fusee  with  one  hand, 
and  with  the  other  attempted  to  stab  him, 
while  he  called  to  an  adjacent  guard  for  as 
sistance.  The  guard  answered.  Putnam,  per 
ceiving  the  imminent  danger  of  his  friend,  and 
that  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  or  further  alarm 
given  by  firing,  ran  rapidly  to  them,  while 
they  were  yet  struggling,  and  with  the  but-end 
of  his  piece  laid  the  Frenchman  dead  at  his 
feet.  The  partizans,  to  elude  pursuit,  pre 
cipitated  their  flight,  joined  the  party,  and  re 
turned  without  loss  to  the  encampment.  Not 
many  occasions  occurred  for  partizans  to  dis 
play  their  talents  in  the  course  of  this  summer. 
The  war  was  chequered  with  various  fortune 
in  different  quarters — such  as  the  total  defeat 
of  General  Braddock,  and  the  splendid  victory 
of  Sir  William  Johnson  over  the  French 
troops,  commanded  by  the  Baron  Dieskau. 
The  brilliancy  of  this  success  was  necessary 
to  console  the  Americans  for  the  disgrace  of 
that  disaster.  Here  I  might,  indeed,  take  a 
pride  in  contrasting  the  conduct  of  the  British 
regulars,  who  had  been  ambuscaded  on  the 
Monorigahela,  with  that  of  the  Provincials 
(under  Johnson)  who,  having  been  attacked 
in  their  lines,  gallantly  repulsed  the  enemy, 
and  took  their  general  prisoner,  did  I  consider 


28        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

myself  at  liberty  to  swell  this  essay  with  re 
flections  on  events,  in  which  Putnam  was  not 
directly  concerned.  The  time  for  which  the 
colonial  troops  engaged  to  serve  terminated 
with  the  campaign.  Putnam  was  reappointed, 
and  again  took  the  field  in  1756. 

Few  are  so  ignorant  of  war  as  not  to  know, 
that  military  adventures,  in  the  night,  are  al 
ways  extremely  liable  to  accidents.  Captain 
Putnam,  having  been  commanded  to  reconnoi 
tre  the  enemy's  camp  at  the  Ovens  near  Ticon- 
dcroga,  took  the  brave  Lieutenant  Robert 
Durkee  as  his  companion.  In  attempting  to 
execute  these  orders,  he  narrowly  missed  be 
ing  taken  himself  in  the  first  instance,  and  kill 
ing  his  friend  in  the  second.  It  was  custorca- 

O 

ry  for  the  British  and  Provincial  troops  to 
place  their  fires  round  their  camp,  which  fre 
quently  exposed  them  to  the  enemy's  scouts 
and  patroles.  A  contrary  practice,  then  un 
known  in  the  English  army,  prevailed  among 
the  French  and  Indians.  The  plan  wras  much 
more  rational ;  they  kept  their  fires  in  the  cen 
tre,  lodged  their  men  circularly  at  a  distance, 
and  posted  their  centinels  in  the  surrounding 
darkness.  Our  partizans  approached  the 
camp,  and  supposing  the  Gentries  were  with 
in  the  circle  of  fires,  crept  upon  their  hands 
and  knees  with  the  greatest  possible  caution, 
until,  to  their  utter  astonishment,  they  found 
themselves  in  the  thickest  of  the  enemy.  The 
centinels,  discovering  them,  fired  and  slightly 
wounded  Durkee  in  the  thigh.  He  and  Put- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       29 

nam  had  no  alterative.  They  fled.  The  lat 
ter,  being  foremost  and  scarcely  able  to  see 
his  hand  before  him,  soon  plunged  into  a  clay- 
pit.  Durkee,  almost  at  the  identical  moment, 
came  tumbling  after.  Putnam  by  no  means 
pleased  at  finding  a  companion,  and  believing 
him  to  be  one  ot  the  enemy,  lifted  his  toma 
hawk  to  give  the  deadly  blow,  when  Durkee, 
(who  had  followed  so  closely  as  to  know  him) 
enquired,  whether  he  had  escaped  unhurt. 
Captain  Putnam  instantly  recognizing  the 
voice,  dropped  his  weapon :  and  both,  spring 
ing  from  the  pit,  made  good  their  retreat  to 
the  neighbouring  ledges,  amidst  a  shower  of 
random  shot.  There  they  betook  themselves 
to  a  large  log,  by  the  side  of  which  they  lodg 
ed  the  remainder  of  the  night.  Before  they 
lay  down,  Captain  Putnam  said  he  had  a  little 
rum  in  his  canteen,  which  could  never  be  more 
acceptable  or  necessary;  but  on  examining  the 
canteen,  which  hung  under  his  arm,  he  iound 
the  enemy  had  pierced  it  with  their  balls,  and 
that  there  was  not  a  drop  of  liquor  left.  The 
next  day  he  found  fourteen  bullet  holes  in  his 
blanket. 

In  the  same  summer  a  body  of  the  enemy, 
consisting  of  600  men,  attacked  the  baggage 
and  provision  waggons  at  a  place  called  the 
half-wnv-brook  ;  it  being  equi-distant  from 
Fort  Edward,  and  the  south  end  of  Lake 
George.  Having  killed  the  oxen  and  plun 
dered  the  waggons,  they  retreated  with  their 
booty  without  having  met  with  such  resistance 


30       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

as  might  have  been  expected  from  the  strength 
of  the  escort.  General  Webb,  upon  receiving 
intelligence  of  this  disaster,  ordered  the  Cap 
tains  Putnam  and  Rogers  "  to  take  100  vol- 
"  unteers  in  boats,  with  two  wail-pieces  and 
"  two  blunderbusses,  and  to  proceed  down 
"  Lake  George  to  a  certain  point :  there  to 
"  leave  the  batteaux  under  a  proper  guard, 
"  and  thence  to  cross  by  land,  so  as  to  harrass, 
"  and,  if  practicable,  intercept  the  retreating 
"  enemy  at  the  narrows."  These  orders  were 
executed  with  so  much  punctuality,  that  the 
party  arrived  at  the  destined  place  half  an 
hour  before  the  hostile  boats  came  in  view. 
Here  they  waited,  under  cover,  until  the  ene 
my  (ignorant  of  these  proceedings)  entered 
the  narrows  with  their  batteaux  loaded  with 
plunder.  Then  the  volunteers  poured  upon 
them  volley  after  volley,  killed  many  of  the 
oarsmen,  sunk  a  number  of  their  batteaux,  and 
would  soon  have  destroyed  the  whole  body  of 
the  enemy,  had  not  the  unusual  precipitancy 
of  their  passage  (favoured  by  the  wind)  car 
ried  them  through  the  narrows  into  the  wide 
part  of  South  Bay,  where  they  were  out  of  the 
reach  of  musket-shot.  The  shattered  rem 
nant  of  the  little  fleet  soon  arrived  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  gave  information  that  Putnam  and 
Rogers  were  at  the  narrows.  A  fresh  party 
was  instantly  detached  to  cut  them  in  pieces, 
on  their  return  to  Fort-Edward.  Our  parti- 
zans,  sensible  of  the  probability  of  such  an  at 
tempt,  and  being  full  twenty  miles  from  thejr 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       31 

boats,  strained  evey  nerve  to  reach  them  as 
soon  as  possible ;  which  they  effected  the  same 
night.  Next  day,  when  they  had  returned  as 
far  as  Sabbath-Day  point,  they  discovered,  on 
shore,  the  beforementioned  detachment  of  300 
men,  who  had  passed  them  in  the  night,  and 
who  now,  on  perceiving  our  party,  took  to 
their  boats  with  the  greatest  alacrity,  and 
rowed  out  to  give  battle.  They  advanced  in 
line,  maintaining  a  good  mein,  and  felicitating 
themselves  upon  the  prospect  of  an  easy  con 
quest,  from  the  great  superiority  of  their  num 
bers.  Flushed  with  these  expectations,  they 
were  permitted  to  come  within  pistol-shot  be 
fore  a  gun  was  fired.  At  once,  the  wall-pie 
ces  and  blunderbusses,  which  had  been  brought 
to  rake  them  in  the  most  vulnerable  point, 
were  discharged.  As  no  such  reception  had 
been  foreseen,  the  assailants  were  thrown  into 
the  utmost  disorder.  Their  terror  and  confu 
sion  were  greatly  increased  by  a  well-directed 
and  most  destructive  fire  of  the  small  arms. 
The  larger  pieces  being  reloaded,  without  an 
noyance,  continued  alternately  with  the  mus- 
quetry  to  make  dreadful  havoc,  until  the  rout 
was  completed  and  the  enemy  driven  back  to 
Ticonderoga.  In  this  action,  one  of  the  bark 
canoes  contained  twenty  Indians,  of  whom  fif 
teen  were  killed.  Great  numbers,  from  other 
boats,  both  of  French  and  Indians,  were  seen 
to  fall  overboard :  but  the  account  of  their  to 
tal  loss  could  never  be  ascertained.  Rogers 
and  Putnam  had  but  one  man  killed,  and  two 


32       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

slightly  wounded.  They  now  landed  on  the 
point,  and  having  refreshed  their  men  at  leis 
ure,  returned  in  good  order  to  the  British 
camp. 

Soon  after  these  rencounters,  as  ingular  kind 
of  race  was  run  by  our  nimble-footed  Provin 
cial  and  an  active  young  Frenchman.  The 
liberty  of  each  was  by  turns  at  stake.  Gen 
eral  Webb,  wanting  a  prisoner  for  the  sake 
of  intelligence,  sent  Capt.  Putnam  with  five 
men  to  procure  one.  The  Captain  concealed 
himself  near  the  road  which  leads  from  Ticon- 
deroga  to  the  Ovens.  His  men  seemed  fond 
of  shewing  themselves,  which  unsoldierlike 
conduct  he  prohibited  with  the  severest  repre 
hension.  This  rebuke  they  imputed  to  unne 
cessary  fear.  The  observation  is  as  true  as 
vulgar,  that  persons  distinguishable  for  temer 
ity,  when  there  is  no  apparent  danger,  are 
generally  poltroons  whenever  danger  ap 
proaches.  They  had  not  lain  long,  in  the 
high  grass,  before  a  Frenchman  and  an  Indian 
passed — the  Indian  was  considerably  in  ad 
vance.  As  soon  as  the  former  had  gone  by, 
Putnam,  relying  on  the  fidelity  of  his  men, 
sprang  up,  ran,  and  ordered  them  to  follow. 
After  running  about  thirty  rods,  he  seized  the 
Frenchman  by  the  shoulders,  and  forced  him  to 
surrender:  But  his  prisoner,  looking  round, 
perceiving  no  other  enemy,  and  knowing  the 
Indian  would  be  ready  in  a  moment  to  assist 
him,  began  to  make  an  obstinate  resistance. 
Putnam,  finding  himself  betrayed  by  his  men 


33 


7  .-"?       , 


A        .5- 

' 


f      m             1       -V. 

c,  which  was 

^  0      /  - 

<? 

T  st.     It  missed 

Lf-  |  . 

*L 

*lmost  prudent 

*ji  turn,  chased 

7~ 

'*  ^ 

|t,  raised  them- 

^  1  * 

/" 

* 

ris  pursuer  es- 
v  made  his  es- 

- 

fl 

,hese  men  had 

3 

|d   them  with 

v  /^  . 

^ 

;  accomplished 

7. 

,the  capture  of 

lT 

^finitely  more 

_  ./•    a^rfK 

f  y*^ 

|t  unacquainted 

it 

^          to   magne. 


ortance  ofpos- 
be  con- 


appre- 
ble  partizan. 
happened  dur- 
'ss  of  Oswego. 
It  by  General 
ade,  cover  the 
,  and  facilitate 
itenac  and  Ni- 
(enemy,  with  a 

.-*  ,      — ,        -         one  hun 

dred  pi\ 

The  active  services "oTTJaptain  Putnam  on 
every  occasion  attracted  the  admiration  of  the 
4 


32  LIFE 

slightly  woundec 
point,  and  havin| 
ure,  returned  irf 
camp. 

Soon  after  the  ^ 
of  race  was  run 
cial  and  an  act 
liberty  of  each 
era!  Webb,  war|& 
of  intelligence,  \ 
men  to  procure! 
himself  near  the  > 
deroga  to  the  0-  - 
of  shewing    theV 
conduct  he  proh          -     ; 
hension.     This  ? 
cessaryfear.     IT 
vulgar,  that  perl; 
ity,  when  there          | 
generally    poltr| 

preaches.     The:  ;  ;":  Jj£ 

high  grass,  befo  j 
passed — the  InJ; 

vance.     As  soom  i 

Putnam,  rely  in  { 5  ^    .^  ;  ^  » 

sprang  up,  ran,  | 

r       &     r'.  i  jx     O-        ,'      ^.     ^ .  s      ^ 

After  running  a  j  ^   ^  ^|          ^  -^ 
Frenchman  by  1 1|.  .  § 

surrender:    Bu1|N        ,  -•  .  < 

.  . 
perceiving  no  of^ 

Indian  would  bc^  assist 

him,  began  to  nHI^HMBBt/nate  resistance. 
Putnam,  finding  himself  betrayed  by  his  men 


LIFC  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       33 

into  a  perilous  dilemma,  let  go  his  hold,  step 
ped  back  and  snapped  his  piece,  which  was 
levelled  at  the  Frenchman's  breast.  It  missed 
fire.  Upon  this  he  thought  it  most  prudent 
to  retreat.  The  Frenchman,  in  turn,  chased 
him  back  to  his  men,  who,  at  last,  raised  them 
selves  from  the  grass ;  which  his  pursuer  es 
pying  in  good  time  for  himself,  made  his  es 
cape.  Putnam,  mortified  that  these  men  had 
frustrated  his  success,  dismissed  them  with 
disgrace ;  and  not  long  after  accomplished 
his  object.  Such  little  feats,  as  the  capture  of 
a  single  prisoner,  may  be  of  infinitely  more 
consequence  than  some,  who  are  unacquainted 
with  military  affairs,  would  be  apt  to  imagine. 
In  a  country  covered  with  woods,  like  that 
part  of  America,  then  the  seat  of  war,  the  dif 
ficulty  of  procuring,  and  the  importance  of  pos 
sessing  good  intelligence,  can  scarcely  be  con 
ceived  even  by  European  commanders.  They, 
however,  who  know  its  value,  will  not  appre 
ciate  lightly  the  services  of  an  able  partizan. 

Nothing  worthy  of  remark  happened  dur 
ing  this  campaign,  except  the  loss  of  Oswego. 
That  fort,  which  had  been  built  by  General 
Shirley,  to  protect  the  peltry  trade,  cover  the 
country  on  the  Mohawk-River,  and  facilitate 
an  invasion  of  Canada,  by  Frontenac  and  Ni 
agara,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  with  a 
garrison  of  sixteen  hundred  men,  and  one  hun 
dred  pieces  of  cannon. 

The  active  services  of  Captain  Putnam  on 
every  occasion  attracted  the  admiration  of  the 
4 


34        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

public,  and  induced  the  Legislature  of  Con 
necticut  to  promote  him  to  a  majority  in  1757. 

Lord  Loudon  was  then  Commander  in  Chief 
of  the  British  forces  in  America.  The  expedi 
tion  against  Crown-Point,  which  from  the  com 
mencement  of  hostilities  had  been  in  contem 
plation,  seemed  to  give  place  to  a  more  impor 
tant  operation  that  was  meditated  against 
Louisbourg.  But  the  arrival  of  the  Brest 
squadron  at  that  place  prevented  the  attempt ; 
and  the  loss  of  Fort  William  Henry  served 
to  class  this  with  the  two  former  unsuccessful 
campaigns.  It  was  rumoured,  and  partially 
credited  at  the  time,  that  General  Webb,  who 
commanded  in  the  northern  department,  had 
early  intimation  of  the  movement  of  the  French 
army,  and  might  have  effectually  succoured  the 
garrison.  The  subsequent  facts  will  place  the 
affair  in  its  proper  light. 

A  few  days  before  the  seige,  Major  Putnam, 
with  two  hundred  men,  escorted  General 
Webb  from  Fort  Edward  to  Fort  William 
Henry.  The  object  was  to  examine  the  state 
of  this  fortification,  which  stood  at  the  south 
ern  extremity  of  Lake  George.  Several  abor 
tive  attempts  having  been  made  by  Major 
Rogers  and  others  in  the  night  season.  Major 
Putnam  proposed  to  go  down  the  lake  in  open 
day-light,  land  at  Northwest-Bay,  arid  tarry  on 
shore  until  he  could  make  satisfactory  discove 
ry  of  the  enemy's  actual  situation  at  Ticondero- 
ga  and  the  adjacent  posts.  The  plan  (which 
he  suggested)  of  landing  with  only  five  men. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       35 

and  sending  back  the  boats,  to  prevent  detec- 
tion,\vas  deemed  too  hazardous  by  the  General. 
At  length,  however,  he  was  permitted  to  pro 
ceed  with  eighteen  volunteers  in  three  whale 
boats ;  but  before  he  arrived  at  Northwest-Bay 
he  discovered  a  body  of  men  on  an  island. 
Immediately  upon  this,  he  left  two  boats  to 
fish  at  a  distance,  that  they  might  not  occasion 
an  alarm,  and  returned  himself  with  the  infor 
mation.  The  General,  seeing  him  rowing 
back  with  great  velocity,  in  a  single  boat,  con 
cluded  the  others  were  captured,  and  sent  a 
skiff,with  orders  for  him  alone  to  come  on  shore. 
After  advising  the  General  of  the  circumstanc 
es,  lie  urged  the  expediency  of  returning  to 
make  further  discoveries,  and  bring  off  the 
boats.  Leave  was  reluctantly  given.  He 
found  his  people,  and,  passing  stul  onward, 
discovered  (by  the  aid  of  a  good  perspective 
glass)  a  large  army  in  motion.  By  this  time 
several  of  the  advanced  canoes  had  nearly  sur 
rounded  him,  but  by  the  swiftness  of  his  whale- 
boats,  he  escaped  through  the  midst  of  them. 
On  his  return  he  informed  the  General  min 
utely  of  all  he  had  scon,  and  intimated  his  con 
viction  that  the  expedition  must  obviously  be 
destined  against  Fort  William  Henry.  That 
commander,  strictly  enjoining  silence  on  the 
subject,  directed  him  to  put  his  men  under  an 
oath  of  secrecy,  and  to  prepare,  without  loss  of 
time,  to  return  to  the  Head  Quarters  of  the 
army.  Major  Putnam  observed,  "he  hoped 
"  his  Excellency  did  not  intend  to  neglect  so 


36       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

"  fair  an  opportunity  of  giving  battle,  should 
"  the  enemy  presume  to  land."  "What  do  you 
"  think  we  should  do  here?"  replied  the  Gen 
eral.  Accordingly  the  next  day  he  returned, 
and  the  day  after  Colonel  Monro  was  ordered 
from  Fort  Edward,  with  his  regiment,  to  rein 
force  the  garrison.  That  officer  took  with 
him  all  his  rich  baggage  and  camp  equipage, 
notwithstanding  Major  Putnam's  advice  to  the 
contrary.  The  day  following  his  arrival,  the 
enemy  lauded  and  besieged  the  place. 

The  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  Commander 
in  Chief  for  the  French  in  Canada  (intend 
ing  to  take  advantage  of  the  absence  of  a 
large  proportion  of  the  British  force,  which  he 
understood  to  be  employed  under  Lord  Lou- 
dori  ag*ainst  Louisbourg)  had  assembled  what 
ever  men  could  be  spared  from  Ticonderoga, 
Crown-Point,  and  the  other  garrisons :  with 
these  he  had  combined  a  considerable  corps  of 
Canadians,  and  a  larger  body  of  Indians  than 
had  ever  before  been  collected ;  making  in  the 
whole  an  army  of  nearly  eight  thousand  men. 
Our  garrison  consisted  of  twenty-five  hundred, 
and  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Monro,  a  very 
gallant  officer,  who  found  the  means  of  send 
ing  express  after  express  to  General  Webb, 
with  an  account  of  his  situation,  and  the  most 
pressing  solicitation  for  succour.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  army  at  Fort  Edward,  which,  origin 
ally  amounted  to  about  four  thousand,  had 
been  considerably  augmented  by  Johnson's 
troops  and  the  militia.  On  the  8th  or  9th  day 
after  the  landing  of  the  French,  General 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        37 

Johnson  (in  consequence  of  repeated  applica 
tions)  was  suffered  to  inarch  lor  the  relief  of 
the  garrison,  with  all  the  Provincials,  Militia, 
arid  Putnam's  Rangers:  but  before  they  had 
proceeded  three  miles,  the  order  was  counter 
manded,  and  they  returned.  M.  de  Montcalm 
informed  Major  Putnam,  when  a  prisoner  in 
Canada,  that  one  of  his  running  Indians  saw 
and  reported  this  movement;  and,  upon  being 
questioned  relatively  to  the  numbers,  answer 
ed  in  their  figurative  style,  "If  you  can  count 
the  leaves  on  the  trees,  you  can  count  them"  In 
effect.the  operations  oi'the  siege  were  suspend 
ed,  and  preparations  made  for  re-embarking, 
when  another  of  the  runners  reported  that  the 
detachment  had  gone  back.  rl  he  Marquis  de 
Montcalm,  provided  with  a  good  train  of  artil 
lery,  meeting  with  no  annoyance  from  the 
British  army,  and  but  inconsiderable  interrup 
tion  from  the  garrison,  accelerated  his  ap 
proaches  so  rapidly,  as  to  obtain  possession  of 
the  fort  in  a  short  time  after  completing  the 
investiture.  An  intercepted  letter  from  Gene 
ral  Webb,  advising  the  surrender,was  sent  into 
the  fort  to  Colonel  Monro  by  the  French 
General. 

The  garrison  engaged  not  to  serve  for  eigh 
teen  months,  and  were  permitted  to  march  out 
with  the  honours  of  war.  But  the  savages 
regarded  not  the  capitulation,  nor  could  they 
be  restrained  by  the  utmost  exertion  of  the 
Commanding  Officer,  from  committing  the 
most  outrageous  acts  of  cruelty.  They  strip- 
4* 


.'iJ»  i  i:i".   or   g&Kl  i:  u     ri  v\  \M. 


pod  and  plundered  all  the  prisoners,  and  mur- 
deiod  «;-ieat  numbers    in    cold    blood.      Tl: 

uho  escaped  by  fiighti  or  tho  protection  oi'ilu 

French,  aniNcii  in  a  to  i  lorn  condition  at   I 
F.dxvard:    Among  those  was  the  coiuiiiaiidatit 
of  (hr  o-,n  n^on. 

Thr  dav  Mk-rt^oilinsy  tliis  deplorable  scene 
of  rarn;\ov  and  harbarHv,  Major  Putnam  hav 
ing  born  dispatohod  with  his  BJADgefti  to  watch 
tho  motions  of  tho  rnomv.  oamo  to  tiu^  >hore, 
wbon  ilu^ir  roar  \\.\sscarcolv  beyond  the  reach 
of  musket-shot.  They  had  carried  oft*  all  the 
cannon,  stores  and  water-craft.  The  fort 
was  demolished.  The  barracks,  the  out-hous 
es  and  suttlers"  booths  were  heaps  of  ruins. 
The  tnvs.  not  yet  extinct,  and  the  sinokcyof- 
fen^ive  from  the  mucilaginous  nature  of  the 
fuel,  but  illy  concealed  innumerable  fragments 
of  human  skulls  and  bones,  and,  in  some  in- 
Mamv<,  carcases  half-consumed.  Dead  bodies. 
weltering  in  blood,  were  every  uhere  to  be 
i,  violated,  with  all  tho  wanton  mutilations 

-.n-ago  ingenuity.  More  than  one  hundred 
women,  some  with  their  brains  still  oozing 
fiiMn  tho  battered  heads,  others  with  their 
Avholo  hair  wrenched  collectively  with  the  skin 
from  the  bloody  skulls,  and  many  '(with  their 
throats  cut)  most  inhumanly  stabbed  and 
butchered,  lay  stripped  entirely  naked,  with 
their  bowels  torn  out,  and  aftorcled  a  spectacle 
oniMo  for  description. 

Not  long  after  this  misfortune.  General  Ly- 
man  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Fort  Ed- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       39 

ward.  lie  resolved  to  strengthen  it.  For 
tins  purpose  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  were 
employed  in  cutting  timber.  To  cover  them, 
Captain  Little  was  posted  (with  lifty  British 
Regulars)  at  the  head  of  a  thick  swamp  about 
one  hundred  rods  eastward  of  the  fort — to 
which  his  communication  lay  over  a  tongue  of 
land,  formed  on  the  one  side  by  the  swamp, 
and  by  a  creek  on  the  other. 

One  morning,  at  day  break,  a  centinel  saw 
indistinctly  several  birds,  as  he  conceived, 
come  from  the  swamp  and  ily  over  him  with 
incredible  swiftness.  While  he  was  ruminat 
ing  on  these  wonderful  birds,  and  endeavouring 
to  form  some  idea  of  their  colour,  shape  and 
size,  an  arrow  buried  itself  in  the  limb  of  a  tree 
just  above  his  head.  He  now  discovered  the 
quality  and  design  of  these  winged  messengers 
of  fate,  and  gave  the  alarm.  Instantly  the 
working  party  began  to  retreat  along  the  de 
file.  A  large  body  of  savages  had  concealed 
themselves  In  the  morass  before  the  guard  was 
posted,  and  were  attempting  in  this  way  tokill 
the  centinel  without  noise,with  design  to  surprise 
the  whole  party.  Finding  the  alarm  given, 
they  rushed  from  the  covert,  shot  and  toma 
hawked  those  who  were  nearest  at  hand,  and 
pressed  hard  on  the  remainder  of  the  unarmed 
fugitives.  Captain  Little  flew  to  their  relief, 
and,  by  pouring  on  the  Indians  a  well  timed  fire, 
checked  the  pursuit,  and  enabled  such  of  the 
fatigue-men  as  did  not  fall  in  the  first  onset,  to 
retire  to  the  fort.  Thither  he  sent  for  assist- 


40       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

ance,  his  little  party  being  almost  overpower 
ed  by  numbers.  But  the  commandant,  imag 
ining  that  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  were 
approaching  for  a  general  assault,  called  in 
his  out-posts  and  shut  the  gates. 

Major  Putnam  lay,  with  his  Rangers,  on  an 
island  adjacent  to  the  fort.  Having  heard 
the  musquetry,  and  learned  that  his  friend 
Captain  Little  was  in  the  utmost  peril,  he 
plunged  into  the  river  at  the  head  of  his  corps, 
and  waded  through  the  water  towards  the 
place  of  engagement.  This  brought  him  so 
near  to  the  fort,  that  General  Lyman  apprized 
of  his  design,  and  unwilling  that  the  lives  of  a 

c5  O 

few  more  brave  men  should  be  exposed  to 
what  he  deemed  inevitable  destruction,  mount 
ed  the  parapet  and  ordered  him  to  proceed  no 
further.  The  major  only  took  time  to  make 
the  best  short  apology  he  could,  and  marched 
on.  This  is  the  onty  instance  in  the  whole 
course  of  his  military  service  wherein  he  did 
not  pay  the  strictest  obedience  to  orders ;  and 
in  this  instance  his  motive  was  highly  commen 
dable.  But  when  such  conduct,  even  if  sanc 
tified  by  success,  is  passed  over  with  impunity, 
it  demonstrates  that  all  is  not  right  in  the 
military  system.  In  a  disciplined  army,  such 
as  that  of  the  United  States  became  under- 
General  Washington,  an  officer  guilty  of  a 
slighter  violation  of  orders,  however  elevated 
in  rank  or  meritorious  in  service,  would  have 
been  brought  before  the  bar  of  a  Court  Mar 
tial.  Were  it  not  for  the  seductive  tendency 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       41 

of  a  brave  man's  example,  I  might  have  been 
spared  the  mortification  of  making  these  re 
marks  on  the  conduct  of  an  officer,  whose  dis 
tinguishing  characteristics  were  promptitude 
for  duty  and  love  of  subordination,  as  well  as 
cheerfulness  to  encounter  every  species  of  dif 
ficulty  and  danger. 

The  Rangers  of  Putnam  soon  opened  their 
way  for  a  junction  with  the  little  handful  of 
Regulars,  who  still  obstinately  maintained  their 
ground.  By  his  advice  the  whole  rushed  im 
petuously  \vith  shouts  and  huzzas  into  the 
swamp.  The  savages  fled  on  every  side,  and 
were  chased,  with  no  inconsiderable  loss  on 
their  part,  as  long  as  the  day-light  lasted.  On 
ours  only  one  man  was  killed  in  the  pursuit. 
His  death  was  immediately  revenged  by  that 
of  the  Indian  who  shot  him.  This  Indian  was 
one  of  the  runners — a  chosen  body  of  active 
young  men,  \vho  are  made  use  of  not  only  to 
procure  intelligence  and  convey  tidings,  but  al 
so  to  guard  the  rear  on  a  retreat. 

Here  it  will  not  be  unseasonable  to  mention 
some  of  the  customs  in  war  peculiar  to  the 
aborigines,  which  on  the  present  as  well  as 
other  occasions,  they  put  in  practice.  When 
ever  a  retreating,  especially  a  flying  party  had 
gained  the  summit  of  a  rising  ground,  they 
secreted  one  or  two  runners  behind  trees, 
copses,  or  bushes  to  fire  at  the  enemy  upon 
their  ascending  the  hill.  This  commonly  ac- 
casioned  the  enemy  to  halt  and  form  for  battle, 
la  the  interim  the  runners  used  such  dexterity 


42       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

as  to  be  rarely  discovered,  or  if  discovered, 
they  vanished  behind  the  height  and  rejoined 
their  brother  warriors,  who,  having  thus  stol 
en  a  distance,  were  oftentimes  seen  by  their 
pursuers  no  more.  Or  if  the  pursuers  were 
too  eager  they  seldom  failed  to  atone  for  their 
rashness  by  falling  into  an  ambuscade.  The 
Mohawks,  who  were  afterwards  much  employ 
ed  in  scouts  under  the  orders  of  Major  Putnam, 
and  who  were  perfectly  versed  in  all  the  wiles 
and  stratagems  of  their  countrymen,  shewed 
him  the  mode  of  avoiding  the  evils  of  either 
alternative.  In  suspicious  thickets,  and  at  the 
borders  of  every  considerable  eminence,  a  mo 
mentary  pause  was  made,  while  they,  in  differ 
ent  parts,  penetrated  or  ascended  with  a  cau 
tiousness  that  cannot  be  easily  described. 
They  seemed  all  eye  and  car.  When  they 
found  no  lurking  mischief,  they  would  beckon 
with  the  hand,  and  pronounce  the  word 
"OwisH,"  with  a  long  labial  hissing,  the  0  being 
almost  quiescent.  This  was  ever  the  watch 
word  for  the  main  body  to  advance. 

Indians  who  went  to  war  together,  and 
who,  for  any  reason  found  it  necessary  to 
separate  into  different  routes,  always  left  two 
or  three  runners  at  the  place  of  separation,  to 
give  timely  notice  to  either  party  in  case  of 
pursuit. 

If  a  warrior  chanced  to  straggle  and  lose 
himself  in  the  woods,  or  be  retarded  by  acci 
dent  or  wound,  the  party  missing  him  would 
frequently,  on  their  march,  break  down  a 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        43 

bush  or  a  shrub,  and  leave  the  top  pointing  in 
the  direction  they  had  gone,  that  the  straggler, 
when  he  should  behold  it,  might  shape  his 
course  accordingly. 

We  come  to  the  campaign  when  General 
Abercrombie  took  the  command  at  Fort  Ed 
ward.  That  General  ordered  Major  Putnam, 
with  sixty  men,  to  proceed  by  land  to  South- 
Bay,  on  Lake  George,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  discoveries,  and  intercepting  the  ene 
my's  parties.  The  latter,  in  compliance  with 
these  orders,  posted  himself  at  Wood-Creek, 
near  its  entrance  into  South-Bay.  On  this 
bank,  which  forms  a  jutting  precipice  ten  or 
twelve  feet  above  the  water,  he  erected  a 
stone  parapet  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  mask 
ed  it  with  young  pine-trees,  cut  at  a  distance, 
and  so  artfully  planted  as  to  imitate  the  natu 
ral  growth.  From  hence  he  sent  back  fifteen 
of  his  men,  who  had  fallen  sick.  Distress  for 
want  of  provisions,  occasioned  by  the  length 
of  march,  and  time  spent  on  this  temporary 
fortification,  compelled  him  to  deviate  from  a 
rule  he  had  established,  never  to  permit  a  gun 
to  be  fired  but  at  an  enemy  while  on  a  scout. 
He  was  now  obliged  himself  to  shoot  a  buck, 
which  had  jumped  into  the  creek,  in  order  to 
eke  out  their  scanty  subsistence  until  the  fourth 
day  after  the  completion  of  the  works.  About 
ten  o'clock  that  evening,  one  of  the  men  on 
duty  at  the  margin  of  the  bay,  informed  him 
that  a  fleet  of  bark  canoes,  filled  with  men, 
was  steering  towards  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 


44       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

He  immediately  called  in  all  his  centinels,  and 
ordered  every  man  to  his  post.  A  profound 
stillness  reigned  in  the  atmosphere,  and  the 
full  moon  shone  with  uncommon  brightness. 
The  creek,  which  the  enemy  entered,  is  about 
six  rods  wide,  and  the  bank  opposite  to  the 
parapet  above  twenty  feet  high.  It  was  in 
tended  to  permit  the  canoes  in  front  to  pass — 
they  had  accordingly  just  passed,  when  a  sol 
dier  accidentally  struck  his  firelock  against  a 
stone.  The  commanding  officer  in  the  van 
canoe  heard  the  noise,  and  repeated  several 
times  the  savage  watch-word, — OWISH  !  In 
stantly  the  canoes  huddled  together,  with  their 
centre  precisely  in  front  of  the  works,  cover 
ing  the  creek  for  a  considerable  distance  above 
and  below.  The  officers  appeared  to  be  in 
deep  consultation,  and  the  fleet  on  the  point  of 
returning,  when  Major  Putnam,  who  had  or 
dered  his  men  in  the  most  peremptory  manner 
not  to  fire  until  he  should  set  the  example, 
gave  the  signal,  by  discharging  his  piece. 
They  fired.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  inex 
tricable  confusion  and  apparent  consternation 
occasioned  by  this  well-concerted  attack.  But, 
at  last,  the  enemy  finding,  from  the  unfrequen- 
cy  (though  there  was  no  absolute  intermission) 
in  the  firing,  that  the  number  of  our  men  must 
be  small,  resolved  to  land  below  and  surround 
them.  Putnam,  apprehensive  of  this  from  the 
movement,  sent  Lieutenant  Robert  Durkee,* 

*  As  the  name  of  the  brave  Durkee  will  occur  no  more  in  these 
sheets,  I  may  be  indulged  in  mentioning  his  melancholy  fate.    He 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       45 

with  twelve  men,  about  thirty  rods  down  the 
creek,  who  arrived  in  time  to  repulse  the  party 
which  attempted  to  land.  Another  small  de 
tachment,  under  Lieutenant  Parsons,  was  or 
dered  up  the  creek  to  prevent  any  similar  at 
tempt.  In  the  mean  time  Major  Putnam  kept 
up,  through  the  whole  night,  an  incessant  and 
deadly  fire  on  the  main  body  of  the  enemy, 
without  receiving  any  thing  in  return  but  shot 
void  of  effect,  accompanied  with  dolorous 
groans,  miserable  shrieks,  and  dismal  savage 
yells.  After  day-break  he  was  advised  that 
one  part  of  the  enemy  had  effected  a  landing 
considerably  below,  and  were  rapidly  advanc 
ing  to  cut  off  his  retreat.  Apprised  of  the 
great  superiority  still  opposed  to  him,  as  well 
as  of  the  situation  of  his  own  soldiers,  some  of 
whom  were  entirely  destitute  of  ammunition, 
and  the  rest  reduced  to  one  or  two  rounds  per 
man,  he  commanded  them  to  swing  their 
packs.  By  hastening  the  retreat,  in  good  or 
der,  they  had  just  time  to  retire  far  enough  up 
the  creek  to  prevent- being  enclosed.  During 
this  long-continued  action,  in  which  the  Amer 
icans  had  slain  at  least  five  times  their  own 
number,  only  one  Provincial  and  one  Indian 
were  wounded  on  their  side.  These  unfortu 
nate  men  had  been  sent  off  for  camp  in  the 


survived  this  war,  and  was  appointed  a  Captain  in  that  war  which 
terminated  in  the  acknowledgment  of  our  Independence  In  1778 
he  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  savage*  at  the  hattle  of 
"Wioming,  on  the  Susquehannah.  Ha'vinsr  been  CWidefnned  to  be 
burnt,  the  Indians  kept  him  in  the  flames  wilh  pitch-forks,  until 
ne  expired  iu  the  most  excruciating  torments. 

5 


46       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

night,  with  two  men  to  assist  them,  and  di 
rections  to  proceed  by  Wood-Creek  as  the 
safest,  though  not  the  shortest  route.  But 
having  taken  a  nearer  way,  they  were  pursu 
ed  and  overtaken  by  the  Indians,  who,  from 
the  blood  on  the  leaves  and  bushes,  believed 
that  they  were  on  the  trail  of  our  whole  par 
ty.  The  wounded,  despairing  of  mercy,  and 
unable  to  fly,  insisted  that  the  well  soldiers 
should  make  their  escape,  which,  on  a  mo 
ment's  deliberation,  they  effected.  The  Pro 
vincial,  whose  thigh  was  broken  by  a  ball,  up 
on  the  approach  of  the  savages,  fired  his 
piece,  and  killed  three  of  them ;  after  which 
he  was  quickly  hacked  in  pieces.  The  Indian, 
however,  was  saved  alive.  This  man  Major 
Putnam  saw  afterwards  in  Canada,  where  he 
likewise  learned  that  his  enemy,  in  the  ren 
counter  at  Wood-Creek,  consisted  of  five  hun 
dred  French  and  Indians,  under  the  command 
of  the  celebrated  partizan  Molang,  and  that 
no  party,  since  the  war,  had  suffered  so  se 
verely,  as  more  than  one-half  of  those  who 
went  out  never  returned. 

Our  brave  little  company,  reduced  to  forty 
in  number,  had  proceeded  along  the  bank  of 
the  creek  about  an  hour's  march,  when  Major 
Putnam,  being  in  front,  was  fired  upon  by  a 
party  just  at  hand.  He,  rightly  appreciating 
the  advantage  often  obtained  by  assuming  a 
bold  countenance  on  a  critical  occasion,  in  a 
stentorophonick  tone,  ordered  his  men  to  rush 
on  the  enemy,  and  promised  that  they  should 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       47 

soon  give  a  good  account  of  them.  It  proved 
to  be  a  scout  of  Provincials,  who  conceived 
they  were  firing  upon  the  French ;  but  the 
commanding  officer,  knowing  Putnam's  voice, 
cried  out,  "  that  they  were  all  friends." — Upon 
this  the  Major  told  him  abruptly,  "  that, 
friends  or  enemies,  they  all  deserved  to  be 
hanged  for  not  killing  more  when  they  had 
so  lair  a  shot."  In  fact,  but  one  man  was 
mortally  wounded.  Whiie  these  things  were 
transacted,  a  faithful  soldier,  whose  ammuni 
tion  had  been  nearly  exhausted,  made  his  way 
to  the  fort,  and  gave  such  information,  that 
General  Lyman  was  detached  with  five  hun 
dred  men  to  cover  the  retreat.  Major  Put 
nam  met  them  at  only  twelve  miles  distance 
from  the  fort,  to  which  they  returned  the 
next  day. 

In  the  winter  of  1757,  when  Colonel  Havi- 
land  was  Commandant  at  Fort  Edward,  the 
barracks  adjoining  to  the  north-west  bastion 
took  fire.  They  extended  within  twelve  feet 
of  the  magazine,  which  contained  three  hun 
dred  barrels  of  powder.  On  its  first  discovery, 
the  tire  raged  with  great  violence.  The  Com 
mandant  endeavoured,  in  vain,  by  discharging 
some  pieces  of  heavy  artillery  against  the  sup 
porters  of  tin's  flight  of  barracks,  to  level  them 
with  the  ground.  Putnam  arrived  from  the 
island  where  he  was  stationed  at  the  moment 
when  the  blaze  approached  that  end  which 
was  contiguous  to  the  magazine.  Instantly  a 
vigorous  attempt  was  made  to  extinguish  the 


48   .    LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

conflagration.  A  way  was  opened  by  a  pos 
tern  gate  to  the  river,  and  the  soldiers  were 
employed  in  bringing  water;  which  he,  hav 
ing  mounted  on  a  ladder  to  the  eves  of  the 
building,  received  and  threw  upon  the  flame. 
It  continued,  notwithstanding  their  utmost  ef 
forts,  to  gain  upon  them.  He  stood,  enveloped 
in  smoke,  so  near  the  sheet  of  fire,  that  a  pair 
of  thick  blanket  mittens  were  burnt  entirely 
from  his  hands;  he  was  supplied  with  another 
pair  dipt  in  water.  Colonel  Haviland,  fearing 
that  he  would  perish  in  the  flames,  called  to 
him  to  come  down.  But  he  entreated  that 
he  might  be  suffered  to  remain,  since  destruc 
tion  must  inevitably  ensue  if  their  exertions 
should  be  remitted.  The  gallant  Comman 
dant,  not  less  astonished  than  charmed  at  the 
boldness  of  his  conduct,  forbade  any  more  ef 
fects  to  be  carried  out  of  the  fort,  animated 
the  men  to  redoubled  diligence,  and  exclaim 
ed,  ^  if  we  must  be  blown  up,  we  will  go  all 
together."  At  last,  when  the  barracks  were 
seen  to  be  tumbling,  Putnam  descended,  plac 
ed  himself  at  the  interval,  and  continued  from 
an  incessant  rotation  of  replenished  buckets  to 
pour  water  upon  the  magazine.  The  outside 
planks  were  already  consumed  by  the  prox 
imity  of  the  lire,  and  as  only  one  thickness  of 
timber  intervened,  the  trepidation  now  became 
general  and  extreme.  Putnam,  still  undaunt 
ed,  covered  with  a  cloud  of  cinders,  and 
scorched  with  the  intensity  of  the  heat,  main 
tained  his  position  until  the  fire  subsided,  and 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        49 

the  danger  was  wholly  over.  He  had  con 
tended  for  one  hour  and  an  half  with  that 
terrible  element.  His  legs,  his  thighs,  his 
arms,  and  his  face  were  blistered  ;  and  when 
lie  pulled  off  his  second  pair  of  mittens,  the 
skin  from  his  hands  and  fingers  followed 
them.  It  was  a  month  before  he  recovered. 
The  Commandant,  to  whom  his  merits  had 
before  endeared  him,  could  not  stifle  the  emo 
tions  of  gratitude,  due  to  the  man  who  had 
been  so  instrumental  in  preserving  the  maga 
zine,  the  fort,  and  the  garrison. 

The  repulse  before  Ticonderoga  took  place 
in  1758.  General  Abercrombie,  the  British 
Commander  in  Chief  in  America,  conducted 
the  expedition.  His.  army,  which  amounted 
to  nearly  sixteen  thousand  Regulars  and  Pro 
vincials,  was  amply  supplied  with  artillery  and 
military  stores.  This  well-appointed  corps 
passed  over  Lake  George,  and  landed,  with 
out  opposition,  at  the  point  of  destination. 
The  troops  advanced  in  columns.  Lord  Howe, 
having  Major  Putnam  with  him,  was  in  front 
of  the  centre.  A  body  of  about  five  hundred 
men^  (the  advance  or  pickets  of  the  French 
army)  which  had  fled  at  first,  began  to  skir 
mish  with  Our  left.  "Putnam,"  said  Lord 
Howe,  "  what  means  that  firing  ?"  "  I  know 
not,  but  with  your  Lordship's  leave  will  see," 
replied  the  former.  "  I  will  accompany  you," 
rejoined  the  gallant  young  nobleman.  In  vain 
did  Major  Putnam  attempt  to  dissuade  him  by 


5* 


50       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

saying — ct  My  Lord,  if  I  am  killed,  the  loss  oi 
my  life  will  be   of  little  consequence,  but  the 
preservation  of  your's  is  of  infinite  importance 
to  this  army."     The  only  answer  was,  "  Put 
nam,  your  life  is  as  dear  to  you  as  mine  is  to 
me  ;   I  am  determined  to  go."     One  hundred 
of  the  van,  under  Major  Putnam,  filed  off  with 
Lord  Howe.   '  They  soon  met  the  left  flank  of 
the  enemy's  advance,  by  whose  first  fire   his 
Lordship   fell. — It   was    a    loss  indeed ;    and 
particularly  felt  in  the  operations  which  oc 
curred   three  days  afterwards.     His  manners 
and  his  virtues  had  made  him  the  idol  of  the 
army.     From  his  first  arrival  in  America,  he 
had  accommodated  himself*  and  his  regiment 
to  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  service.     Exem 
plary  to  the  officer,  a  friend  of  the  soldier,  the 
model   of  discipline,  he   had  not  failed  to  en 
counter  every  hardship  and  hazard.     Nothing 
could  be  more  calculated  to  inspire  men  with 
the  rash  animation  of  rage,  or  to   temper  it 
with  the  cool  perseverance   of  revenge,  than 
the  sight  of  such  a  hero,  so  beloved,  fallen  in 
his  country's  cause.     It  had  the  effect.     Put 
nam's  party,  having  cut  their  way  obliquely 
through  the  enemy's  ranks,  and   having  been 
joined  by  Captain  D'Ell,  with  twenty  men,  to 
gether  with  some  other  small  parties,  charged 
them  so  furiously  in  rear,  that  nearly  three 

*  He  cut  his  hair  short,  and  induced  the  regiment  to  follow  the 
example.  He  fashioned  their  cloathing  for  the  activity  of  service, 
and  diverted  luraself  and  them  of  every  article  of  superfluous  bag- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       51 

hundred  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-eight  made  prisoners. 

In  the  mean  time,  from  the  unskiliulness  of 
the  guides,  some  of  our  columns  were  bewil 
dered.  The  left  wing,  seeing  Putnam's  party 
in  their  front,  advancing  over  the  dead  bodies 
towards  them,  commenced  a  brisk  and  heavy 
fire,  which  killed  a  serjeant  and  several  pri 
vates.  Nor  could  they,  by  sounds  or  signs, 
be  convinced  of  their  mistake,  until  Major 
Putnam,  preferring  (if  heaven  had  thus  or 
dained  it)  the  loss  of  his  own  life  to  the  loss 
of  the  lives  of  his  brave  associates,  ran  through 
the  midst  of  the  flying  balls,  and  prevented 
the  impending  catastrophe. 

The  tender  feelings  which  Major  Putnam 
possessed  taught  him  to  respect  an  unfortu 
nate  foe,  and  to  strive,  by  every  lenient  art  in 
his  power,  to  alleviate  the  miseries  of  war. 
For  this  purpose  he  remained  on  the  field 
until  it  began  to  grow  dark,  employed  in  col 
lecting  such  of  the  enemy  as  were  left  wound 
ed,  to  one  place ;  he  gave  them  all  the  liquor 
and  little  refreshments  which  he  could  pro 
cure;  he  furnished  to  each  of  them  a  blanket; 
he  put  three  blankets  under  a  French  serjeant 
who  was  badly  wounded  through  the  body, 
and  placed  him  in  an  easy  posture  by  the  side 
of  a  tree :  the  poor  fellow  could  only  squeeze 
his  hand  with  an  expressive  grasp.  uAh," 
said  Major  Putnam,  "  depend  upon  it,  my 
brave  soldier,  you  shall  be  brought  to  the 


52       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

camp  as  soon  as  possible,  and  the  same  care 
shall  be  taken  of  you  as  if  you  were  my  broth 
er."  The  next  morning  Major  Rogers  was 
sent  to  reconnoitre  the  field,  and  to  bring  oif 
the  wounded  prisoners  ;  but  finding  the 
wounded  unable  to  help  themselves,  in  order 
to  save  trouble,  he  despatched  every  one  of 
them  to  the  world  of  spirits.  Putnam's  was 
not  the  only  heart  that  bled.  The  Provincial 
and  British  officers,  who  became  acquainted 
with  the  fact,  were  struck  with  inexpressible 
horror. 

Ticonderoga  is  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  water ;  on  the  fourth,  for  some  distance, 
extends  a  dangerous  morass ;  the  remainder 
was  then  fortified  with  a  line  eight  feet  high, 
and  planted  with  artillery.  For  one  hundred 
yards  in  front  the  plain  was  covered  with 
great  trees,  cut  for  the  purpose  of  defence, 
whose  interwoven  and  sharpened  branches 
projected  outwards.  Notwithstanding  these 
impediments,  the  engineer  who  had  been  em 
ployed  to  reconnoitre,  reported  as  his  opinion, 
that  the  works  might  be  carried  with  mus 
ketry.  The  difficulty  and  delay  of  dragging 
the  battering  cannon  over  grounds  almost  im 
practicable,  induced  the  adoption  of  this  fatal 
advice — to  which,  however,  a  rumour  that  the 
garrison,  already  consisting  of  four  or  five 
thousand  men,  was  on  the  point  of  being  aug 
mented  with  three  thousand  more,  probably 
contributed.  The  attack  was  as  spirited  in 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        53 

execution  as  ill-judged  in  design.  The  as 
sailants,  after  having  been  for  more  than  four 
hours  exposed  to  a  most  fatal  fire,  without 
making  any  impression  by  their  reiterated  and 
obstinate  proofs  of  valour,  were  ordered  to  re 
treat.  Major  Putnam,  who  had  acted  as  an 
aid  in  bringing  the  Provincial  regiments  suc 
cessively  to  action,  assisted  in  preserving  or 
der.  It  was  said  that  a  great  number  of  the 
enemy  were  shot  in  the  head,  every  other 
part  having  been  concealed  behind  their  works. 
The  loss  on  our  side  was  upwards  of  two 
thousand  killed  and  wounded.  Twenty-five 
hundred  stands  of  arms  were  taken  by  the 
French.  Our  army,  after  sustaining  this  hav- 
ock,  retreated  with  such  extraordinary  precip 
itation,  that  they  regained  their  camp  at  the 
southward  of  Lake  George  the  evening  after 
the  action. 

The  successes  in  other  parts  of  America 
made  amends  for  this  defeat.  Louisbourg,  af 
ter  a  vigorous  siege,  was  reduced  by  the  Gen 
erals  Amherst  and  Wolf:  Frontenac,  a  post  of 
importance  on  the  communication  between 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  surren 
dered  to  Colonel  Bradstreet:  and  Fort  Du 
Quesne,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  Monon- 
gahela  with  the  Ohio,  (the  possession  of  which 
had  kindled  the  flame  of  war  that  now  spread 
through  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe)  was 
captured  by  General  Forbes, 


54       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

A  few  adventures,  in  which  the  public  inter 
ests  were  little  concerned,  but  which,  from 
their  peculiarity,  appear  worthy  of  being  pre 
served,  happened  before  the  conclusion  of  the 
year.  As  one  day  Major  Putnam  chanced  to 
lie  with  a  batteau  and  five  men,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Hudson,  near  the  Rapids,  con 
tiguous  to  which  Fort  Miller  stood,  his  men 
on  the  opposite  bank  had  given  him  to  under 
stand,  that  a  large  body  of  savages  were  in  his 
rear,  and  would  be  upon  him  in  a  moment. 
To  stay  and  be  sacrificed — to  attempt  crossing 
and  be  shot — or  to  go  down  to  the  falls,  with 
an  almost  absolute  certaintv  of  being  drowned, 
were  the  sole  alternatives  that  presented  them 
selves  to  his  choice.  So  instantaneously  was 
the  latter  adopted,  that  one  man  who  had  ram 
bled  a  little  from  the  party,  was,  of  necessity, 
left,  and  fell  a  miserable  victim  to  savage  bar 
barity.  The  Indians  arrived  on  the  shore 
soon  enough  to  fire  many  balls  on  the  batteau 
before  it  could  be  got  under  way.  No  sooner 
had  our  batteau-men  escaped,  by  favour  of  the 
rapidity  of  the  current,  beyond  the  reach  of 
musket-shot,  than  death  seemed  only  to  have 
been  avoided  in  one  form  to  be  encountered  in 
another  not  less  terrible.  Prominent  rocks, 
latent  shelves,  absorbing  eddies,  and  abrupt 
descents,  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  afforded 
scarcely  the  smallest  chance  of  escaping  with 
out  a  miracle.  Putnam,  trusting  himself  to  a 
good  Providence,  whose  kindness  lie  had  often 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM        55 

experienced,  rather  than  to  men,  whose  ten- 
derest  mercies  are  cruelty,  was  now  seen  to 
place  himself  sedately  at  the  helm,  and  afford 
an  astonishing  spectacle  of  serenity.  His  com 
panions,  with  a  mixture  of  terror,  admiration 
and  wonder,  saw  him  incessantly  changing  the 
course,  to  avoid  the  jaws  of  ruin,  that  seemed 
expanded  to  swallow  the  whirling  boat. 
Twice  he  turned  it  fairly  round  to  shun  the 
rifts  of  rocks.  Amidst  these  eddies,  in  which 
there  was  the  greatest  danger  of  its  founder 
ing,  at  one  moment  the  sides  were  exposed  to 
the  fury  of  the  waves ;  then  the  stern,  and 
next  the  bow  glanced  obliquely  onward,  with 
inconceivable  velocity. — With  not  less  amaze 
ment  the  savages  beheld  him  sometimes  mount 
ing  the  billows,  then  plunging  abruptly  down, 
at  other  times  skilfully  veering  from  the  rocks, 
and  shooting  through  the  only  narrow^passage; 
until,  at  last,  they  viewed  the  boat  safely  glid 
ing  on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  stream  below. 
At  this  sight,  it  is  asserted,  that  these  rude 
sons  of  nature  were  affected  with  the  same 
kind  of  superstitious  veneration  which  the  Eu 
ropeans,  in  the  dark  ages,  entertained  for  some 
of  their  most  valorous  champions.  They 
deemed  the  man  invulnerable,  whom  their  balls, 
on  his  pushing  from  shore,  could  not  touch ; 
and  whom  they  had  seen  steering  in  safety 
down  the  rapids  that  had  never  before  been 
passed.  They  conceived  it  would  be  an  af 
front  against  the  Great  Spirit  to  attempt  to  kill 


56        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

this  favoured  mortal  with  powder  and  ball,  if 
they  should  ever  see  and  know  him  again. 

In  the  month  of  August  five  hundred  men 
were  employed,  under  the  orders  of  Majors 
Rogers  and  Putnam,  to  watch  the  motions  of 
the  enemy  near  Ticonderoga.  At  South-Bay 
they  separated  the  party  into  two  equal  divis 
ions,  and  Rogers  took  a  position  on  \\ood- 
Creek,  twelve  miles  distant  from  Putnam. 

Upon  being,  some  time  afterwards,  discov 
ered,  they  formed  a  re-union,  and  concerted 
measures  for  returning  to  Fort  Edward. 
Their  march  through  the  woods  was  in  three 
divisions  by  FILES  :  the  right  commanded  by 
Rogers,  the  left  by  Putnam,  and  the  centre 
by  Captain  D'Eli.  The  first  night  they  en 
camped  on  the  banks  of  Clear  River ',  about  a 
mile  from  old  Fort  Ann,  which  had  been  for 
merly  built  by  General  Nicholson.  Next  morn 
ing  Major  Rogers,  and  a  British  officer  named 
Irwin,  incautiously  suffered  themselves,  from  a 
spirit  of  false  emulation,  to  be  engaged  in  firing 
at  a  mark.  Nothing  could  have  been  more 
repugnant  to  the  military  principles  of  Putnam 
than  such  conduct,  or  reprobated  by  him  in 
more  pointed  terms.  As  soon  as  the  heavy 
dew  which  had  fallen  the  preceding  night 
would  permit,  the  detachment  moved  in  one 
body,  Putnam  being  in  front,  D'Ell  in  centre, 
and  Rogers  in  the  rear.  The  impervious 
growth  of  shrubs  and  under-brush  that  had 
sprung  up,  where  the  land  had  been  partially 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       57 

cleared  some  years  before,  occasioned  this 
change  in  the  order  of  march.  At  the  moment 
of  moving,  the  famous  French  partizan  Mo- 
lang,  who  had  been  sent  with  five  hundred 
men  to  intercept  our  party,  was  not  more  than 
one  mile  and  an  half  distant  from  them.  Hav 
ing  heard  the  firing,  he  hastened  to  lay  an  am 
buscade  precisely  in  that  part  of  the  wood 
most  favourable  to  his  project.  Major  Put 
nam  was  just  emerging  from  the  thicket,  into 
the  common  forest,  when  the  enemy  rose,  arid 
with  discordant  yells  and  whoops,  commenced 
an  attack  upon  the  right  of  his  division.  Sur 
prised,  but  undismayed,  Putnam  halted,  return 
ed  the  fire,  and  passed  the  word  for  the  other 
divisions  to  advance  for  his  support.  D'Ell 
came.  The  action,  though  widely  scattered, 
and  principally  fought  between  man  and  man, 
soon  grew  general  and  intensely  warm.  It 
would  be  as  difficult  as  useless  to  describe  this 
irregular  and  ferocious  mode  of  fighting.  Rog 
ers  came  not  up ;  but,  as  be  declared  after 
wards,  formed  a  circular  file  between  our  par 
ty  and  Wood-Creek,  to  prevent  their  being 
taken  in  rear  or  enfiladed.  Successful  as  he 
commonly  was,  his  conduct  did  not  always 
pass  without  unfavourable  imputation.  Not 
withstanding,  it  was  a  current  saying  in  the 
carnp,  "that  Rogers  always  sent,  but  Putnam 
lei  his  men  to  action,"  yet,  injustice,  it  ought 
to  be  remarked  here,  that  the  latter  has  never 
been  known,  in  relating  the  story  of  this  clay's 
6 


58        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

disaster,  to  affix  any  stigma  upon   the  conduct 
of  the  former. 

Major  Putnam,  perceiving  it  would  be  im 
practicable  to  cross  the  creek,  determined  to 
maintain  his  ground.  Inspired  bj  his  exam 
ple,  the  officers  and  men  behaved  with  great 
bravery:  sometimes  they  fought  aggregately 
in  open  view,  and  sometimes  individually  un 
der  cover ;  taking  aim  from  behind  the  bodies 
of  trees,  and  acting  in  a  manner  independent 
of  each  other.  For  himself,  having  discharged 
his  fuzee  several  times,  at  length  it  missed  tire, 
while  the  muzzle  was  pressed  against  the 
breast  of  a  large  and  well  proportioned  savage. 
This  warrior,  availing  himself  of  the  indefensi 
ble  attitude  of  his  adversary,  with  a  tremen 
dous  war-hoop,  sprang  forward,  with  his  lifted 
hatchet,  and  compelled  him  to  surrender;  and 
having  disarmed  and  bound  him  fast  to  a  tree, 
returned  to  the  battle. 

The  intrepid  Captains  D'Ell  and  Harman, 
who  now  commanded,  were  forced  to  give 
ground  for  a  little  distance  :  the  savages,  con 
ceiving  this  to  be  the  certain  harbinger  of  vic 
tory,  rushed  impetuously  on,  with  dreadful  and 
redoubled  cries.  But  our  two  partizans,  col 
lecting  a  handful  of  brave  men,  gave  the  pur 
suers  so  warm  a  reception  as  to  oblige  them, 
in  turn,  to  retreat  a  little  beyond  the  spot  at 
which  the  action  had  commenced  Here  they 
made  a  stand.  This  change  of  ground  occa 
sioned  the  tree  to  which  Putnam  was  tied  to 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        59 

be  directly  between  the  fire  of  the  Hvo  parties. 
Human  imagination  can  hardly  figute  to  itself  a 
more  deplorable  situation.  The  balls  flew 
incessantly  from  either  side,  many  struck  the 
tree,  while  some  passed  through  the  sleeves 
and  skirts  of  his  coat.  In  this  state  of  jeopar 
dy,  unable  to  move  his  body,  to  stir  his  limbs, 
or  even  to  incline  his  head,  he  remained  more 
than  an  hour.  So  equally  balanced,  and  so 
obstinate  was  the  fight !  At  one  moment, 
while  the  battle  swerved  in  favour  of  the  ene 
my,  a  young  savage  chose  an  odd  way  of  dis 
covering  his  humour.  He  found  Putnam 
bound.  Ho  might  have  dispatched  hi^  at  a 
blow.  But  he  loved  better  to  excite  th<  ter 
rors  of  the  prisoner,  by  hurling  a  tomahawk 
at  his  head,  or  rather  it  should  seem  his  objeiA* 
was  to  see  how  near  he  could  throw  it  with 
out  touching  him — the  weapon  struck  in  the 
tree  a  number  of  times  at  a  hair's  breadth  dis 
tance  from  the  mark.  When  the  Indian  had 
finished  his  amusement,  a  French  bas-officer 
(a  much  more  inveterate  savage  by  nature, 
though  descended  from  so  humane  and  polish 
ed  a  nation)perceiving  Putnam,  came  up  to 
him,  and,  levelling  a  fuzee  within  a  foot  of  his* 
breast,  attempted  to  discharge  it — it  missed 
fire.  Ineffectually  did  the  intended  victim  so 
licit  the  treatment  due  to  his  situation,  by  re 
peating  that  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  The 
degenerate  Frenchman  did  not  understand  the 
language  of  honour  or  of  nature :  deaf  to  their 


60       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

voice,  ant  dead  to  sensibility,  he  violently,  and 
repeatedJv,  pushed  the  muzzle  of  his  gun 
against  Putnam's  ribs,  and  finally  gave  him  a 
cruel  blow  on  the  jaw  with  the  but-end  of  his 
piece.  After  this  dastardly  deed  he  left  him. 
At  length  the  active  intrepidity  of  D'Ell 
and  Herman,*  seconded  by  the  persevering 
valour  of  their  followers,  prevailed.  They 
drove  from  the  field  the  enemy,  who  left 
about  xiinety  dead  behind  them.  As  they 
were  retiring,  Putnam  was  untied  by  the  In 
dian  who  had  made  him  prisoner,  and  whom 
he  afterwards  called  master.  Having  been 
conducted  for  some  distance  from  the  place  of 
action,  he  was  stripped  of  his  coat,  vest,  stock 
ings  and  shoes ;  loaded  with  as  many  of  the 
packs  of  the  wounded  as  could  be  piled  upon 
him;  strongly  pinioned,  and  his  wrists  tied  as 
closely  together  as  they  could  be  pulled  with 
a  cord.  After  he  had  marched,  through  no 
pleasant  paths,  in  this  painful  manner,  for  ma 
ny  a  tedious  mile,  the  party  (who  were  exces 
sively  fatigued)  halted  to  breathe.  His  hands 
were  now  immoderately  swelled  from  the 
tightness  of  the  ligature ;  and  the  pain  had 
become  intolerable.  His  feet  were  so  much 
scratched,  that  the  blood  dropped  fast  from 
them.  Exhausted  with  bearing  a  burden  above 
his  strength,  and  frantic  with  torments  exqui 
site  beyond  endurance,  he  entreated  the  Irish 

*  This  worthy  officer  is  still  living  (1788)  at  Marlborough  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       61 

interpreter  to  implore,  as  the  last  and  only 
grace  he  desired  of  the  savages,  that  they 
would  knock  him  on  the  head  and  take  his 
scalp  at  once,  or  loose  his  hands.  A  French 
officer,  instantly  interposing,  ordered  his  hands 
to  be  unbound,  and  some  of  the  packs  to  be 
taken  off.  By  this  time  the  Indian  who  cap 
tured  him,  and  had  been  absent  with  the 
wounded,  coming  up,  gave  him  a  pair  of  mo- 
casons,  and  expressed  great  indignation  at 
the  unworthy  treatment  his  prisoner  had  suf 
fered. 

That  savage  chief  again  returned  to  the 
care  of  the  wounded,  and  the  Indians,  about 
two  hundred  in  number,  went  before  the  rest 
of  the  party  to  the  place  where  the  whole 
were  that  night  to  encamp.  They  took  with 
them  Major  Putnam,  on  whom,  besides  innu 
merable  other  outrages,  they  had  the  barbarity 
to  inflict  a  deep  wound  with  the  tomahawk  in 
the  left  cheek.  His  sufferings  were  in  this 
place  to  be  consummated.  A  scene  of  horror, 
infinitely  greater  than  had  ever  met  his  eyes 
before,  was  now  preparing.  It  was  deter 
mined  to  roast  him  alive.  For  this  purpose 
they  led  him  into  a  dark  forest,  stripped  him 
naked,  bound  him  to  a  tree,  and  piled  dry 
brush,  with  other  fuel,  at  a  small  distance,  in 
a  circle  round  him.  They  accompanied  their 
labours,  as  if  for  his  funeral  dirge,  with 
screams  and  sounds  inimitable  but  by  savage 
voices.  Then  they  set  the  piles  on  fire.  A 
6* 


62        LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

sudden  shower  damped  the  rising  flame.  Still 
they  strove  to  kindle  it,  until,  at  last,  the  blaze 
ran  fiercely  round  the  circle.  Major  Putnam 
soon  began  to  feel  the  scorching  heat.  His 
hands  were  so  tied  that  he  could  move  his 
body.  He  often  shifted  sides  as  the  fire  ap 
proached.  This  sight,  at  the  very  idea  of 
which  all  but  savages  must  shudder,  afforded 
the  highest  diversion  to  his  inhuman  tormen 
tors,  who  demonstrated  the  delirium  of  their 
joy  by  correspondent  yells,  dances,  and  gesti 
culations.  He  saw  clearly  that  his  final  nour 
was  inevitably  come.  He  summoned  all  his 
resolution,  and  composed  his  mind,  as  far  as 
the  circumstances  could  admit,  to  bid  an  eter 
nal  farewell  to  all  he  held  most  dear.  To 
quit  the  world  would  scarcely  have  cost  a 
single  pang ;  but  for  the  idea  of  home,  but  for 
the  remembrance  of  domestic  endearments,  of 
the  affectionate  partner  of  his  soul,  and  of 
their  beloved  offspring.  His  thought  was  ul 
timately  fixed  on  a  happier  state  of  existence, 
beyond  the  tortures  he  was  beginning  to  en 
dure.  The  bitterness  of  death,  even  of  that 
death  which  is  accompanied  with  the  keenest 
agonies,  was,  in  a  manner,  past — nature,  with 
a  feeble  struggle,  was  quitting  its  last  hold 
on  sublunary  things — when  a  French  officer 
rushed  through  the  crowd,  opened  a  way  by 
scattering  the  burning  brands,  and  unbound 
the  victim.  It  was  Molang  himself — to  whom 
a  savage,  unwilling  to  see  another  human  sa- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       63 

crifice  immolated,  had  run  and  communicated 
the  tidings.  That  commandant  spurned  and 
severely  reprimanded  the  barbarians,  whose 
nocturnal  powwas  and  hellish  orgies  he  sud 
denly  ended.  Putnam  did  not  want  for  feel 
ing  or  gratitude.  The  French  commander, 
fearing  to  trust  him  alone  with  them,  remain 
ed  until  he  could  deliver  him  in  safety  into 
the  hands  of  his  master. 

The  savage  approached  his  prisoner  kindly, 
and  seemed  to  treat  him  with  particular  affec 
tion.  He  offered  him  some  hard  biscuit;  but 
finding  that  he  could  not  chew  them,  on  ac 
count  of  the  blow  he  had  received  from  the 
Frenchman,  this  more  humane  savage  soaked 
some  of  the  biscuit  in  water,  and  made  him 
suck  the  pulp-like  part.  Determined,  how 
ever,  not  to  loose  his  captive  (the  refreshment 
being  finished)  he  took  the  mocasons  from  his 
feet,  and  tied  them  to  one  of  his  wrists  :  then 
directing  him  to  lie  down  on  his  back  upon 
the  bare  ground,  he  stretched  cne  arm  to  its 
full  length,  and  bound  it  fast  to  a  young  tree; 
the  other  arm  was  extended  and  bound  in 
the  same  manner — his  legs  were  stretched 
apart  and  fastened  to  two  saplings.  Then  a 
number  of  tall,  but  slender  poles  were  cut 
down,  which,  with  some  long  bushes,  were 
laid  across  his  body  from  head  to  foot :  on 
each  side  lay  as  many  Indians  as  could  conve 
niently  find  lodging,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  his  escape.  In  this  disagreeable 


64       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

and  painful  posture  he  remained  until  morn 
ing.  During  this  night,  the  longest  and  most 
dreary  conceivable, .our  hero  used  to  relate 
that  he  felt  a  ray  of  cheerfulness  come  casu 
ally  across  his  mind,  and  could  not  even  re 
frain  from  smiling  when  he  reflected  on  this 
ludicrous  group  for  a  painter,  of  which  he 
himself  was  the  principal  figure. 

The  next  day  he  was  allowed  his  blanket 
and  mocasons,  and  permitted  to  march  with 
out  carrying  any  pack,  or  receiving  any  in 
sult.  To  allay  his  extreme  hunger,  a  little 
beat's  meat  was  given,  which  he  sucked 
through  his  teeth.  At  night  the  party  arrived 
at  Ticonderoga,  arid  the  prisoner  was  placed 
under  the  care  of  a  French  guard.  The  sava 
ges,  who  had  been  prevented  from  glutting 
their  diabolical  thirst  for  blood,  took  other 
opportunity  of  manifesting  their  malevolence 
for  the  disappointment,  by  horrid  grimaces 
and  angry  gestures;  but  they  were  suffered 
no  more  to  offer  violence  or  personal  indignity 
to  him. 

After  having  been  examined  by  the  Mar 
quis  de  Montcalm,  Major  Putnam  was  con 
ducted  to  Montreal  by  a  French  officer,  who 
treated  him  with  the  greatest  indulgence  and 
humanity. 

At  this  place  were  several  prisoners.  Col 
onel  Peter  Schuyler,  remarkable  for  his  phi 
lanthropy,  generosity,  and  friendship,  was  of 
the  number.  No  sooner  had  he  heard  of  Ma- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        65 

jor  Putnam's  arrival,  than  he  went  to  the  in 
terpreter's  quarters,  and  inquired  whether  he 
had  a  Provincial  Major  in  his  custody  ?  He 
found  Major  Putnam  in  a  comfortless  condi 
tion — without  coat,  waistcoat,  or  hose — the 
remnant  of  his  clothing  miserably  dirty  and 
ragged — his  beard  long  and  squalid — his  legs 
torn  by  thorns  and  briars — his  face  gashed 
with  wounds  and  swollen  with  bruises.  Colonel 
Schuyler,  irritated  beyond  all  sufferance  at 
such  a  sight,  could  scarcely  restrain  his  speech 
within  limits,  consistent  with  the  prudence  of 
a  prisoner  and  the  meekness  of  a  Christian. 
Major  Putnam  was  immediately  treated  ac 
cording  to  his  rank,  cloathed  in  a  decent 
manner,  and  supplied  with  money  by  that 
liberal  and  sympathetic  patron  of  the  dis 
tressed. 

The  capture  of  Frontenac  by  General 
Bradstreet  afforded  occasion  for  an  exchange 
of  prisoners.  Colonel  Schuyler  was  compre 
hended  in  the  cartel.  A  generous  spirit  can 
never  be  satisfied  with  imposing  tasks  for 
its  generosity  to  accomplish.  Apprehensive 
if  it  should  be  known  that  Putnam  was  a 
distinguished  partizan,  his  liberation  might  be 
retarded,  and  knowing  that  there  were  offi 
cers  who,  from  the  length  of  their  captivity, 
had  a  claim  of  priority  to  exchange,  he  had, 
by  his  happy  address,  induced  the  governor 
to  offer,  that  whatever  officer  he  might  think 
proper  to  nominate  should  be  included  in  the 


66       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

present  cartel.  With  great  politeness  in  man 
ner,  but  seeming  indifference  as  to  object,  he 
expressed  his  warmest  acknowledgments  to 
the  governor,  and  said,  "  There  is  an  old  man 
here,  who  is  a  Provincial  Major,  and  wishes 
to  be  at  home  with  his  wife  and  children ;  he 
can  do  no  good  here  or  any  where  else :  I 
believe  your  Excellency  had  better  keep  some 
of  the  young  men,  who  have  no  wife  or  chil 
dren  to  care  for,  and  let  the  old  fellow  go 
home  with  me."  This  justifiable  finesse  had 
the  desired  effect 

At  the  house  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  Major 
Putnam  became  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Howe, 
a  fair  captive,  whose  history  would  not  be 
read  without  emotion,  if  it  could  be  written  in 
the  same  affecting  manner  in  which  I  have 
often  heard  it  told.  She  was  still  young  and 
handsome  herself,  though  she  had  two  daugh 
ters  of  marriageable  age.  Distress,  which  had 
taken  somewhat  from  the  original  redundancy 
of  her  bloom,  and  added  a  softening  paleness 
to  her  cheeks,  rendered  her  appearance  the 
more  engaging.  Her  face,  that  seemed  to  have 
been  formed  for  the  assemblage  of  dimples 
and  smiles,  was  clouded  with  care.  The  natu 
ral  sweetness  was  not,  however,  soured  by 
despondency  and  petulance,  but  chastened  by 
humility  and  resignation.  This  mild  daughter 
of  sorrow  looked  as  if  she  had  known  the  day 
of  prosperity,  when  serenity  and  gladness  of 
soul  were  the  inmates  of  her  bosom.  That 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       67 

day  was  past,  and  the  once  lively  features 
now  assumed  a  tender  melancholy,  which  wit 
nessed  her  irreparable  loss.  She  needed  not 
the  customary  weeds  of  mourning,  or  the  fal 
lacious  pageantry  of  woe,  to  prove  her  widow 
ed  state.  She  was  in  that  stage  of  affliction 
when  the  excess  is  so  far  abated  as  to  permit 
the  subject  to  be  drawn  into  conversation, 
without  opening  the  wound  afresh.  It  is  then 
rather  a  source  of  pleasure  than  pain  to  dwell 
upon  the  circumstances  in  narration.  Every 
thing  conspired  to  make  her  story  interesting. 
Her  first  husband  had  been  killed  and  scalped 
by  the  Indians  some  years  before.  By  an  un 
expected  assault,  in  1756,  upon  Fort  Dummer, 
where  she  then  happened  to  be  present  with 
-Mr.  Howe,  her  second  husband,  the  savages 
carried  the  fort,  murdered  the  greater  part  of 
the  garrison,  mangled  in  death  her  husband, 
and  led  her  away  with  seven  children  into 
captivity.  She  was  for  some  months  kept  with 
them  ;  and  during  their  rambles  she  was  fre 
quently  on  the  point  of  perishing  with  hunger, 
and  as  often  subjected  to  hardships  seemingly 
intolerable  to  one  of  so  delicate  a  frame. 
Some  time  after  the  career  of  her  miseries 
began,  the  Indians  selected  a  couple  of  their 
young  men  to  marry  her  daughters.  The 
fright  and  disgust  which  the  intelligence  of 

1  "  • 

this  intention  occasioned  to  these  poor  young 
creatures,  added  infinitely  to  the  sorrows  and 
perplexities  of  their  frantic  mother.  To  pre- 


68       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

vent  the  hated  connexion,  all  the  activity  of 
female  resource  was  called  into  exertion.  She 
found  an  opportunity  of  conveying  to  the 
governor  a  petition,  that  her  daughters  might 
be  received  into  a  convent  for  the  sake  of 
securing  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  Happily 
the  pious  fraud  succeeded. 

About  the  same  time  the  savages  separated, 
and  carried  off  her  other  five  children  into 
different  tribes.  She  was  ransomed  by  an 
elderly  French  officer  for  four  hundred  livres. 
Of  no  avail  were  the  cries  of  this  tender 
mother— a  mother  desolated  by  the  loss  of 
her  children,  who  were  thus  torn  from  her 
fond  embraces,  and  removed  many  hundred 
miles  from  each  other,  into  the  utmost  recesses 
of  Canada.  With  them  (could  they  have  been 
kept  together)  she  would  most  willingly  have 
wandered  to  the  extremities  of  the  world,  and 
accepted  as  a  desirable  portion  the  cruel  lot 
of  slavery  for  life.  But  she  was  precluded 
from  the  sweet  hope  of  ever  beholaing  them 
again.  The  insufferable  pang  of  parting,  and 
the  idea  of  eternal  separation,  planted  the  ar 
rows  of  despair  deep  in  her  soul.  Though  all 
the  world  was  no  better  than  a  desert,  and 
all  its  inhabitants  were  then  indifferent  to  her, 
yet  the  loveliness  of  her  appearance  in  sorrow 
had  awakened  affections,  which,  in  the  aggra 
vation  of  her  troubles,  were  to  become  a  new 
source  of  afflictions. 

The  officer  who  bought  her  of  the  Indians 
had  a  son  who  also  held  a  commission,  and 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        69 

resided  with  his  father.  During  her  continu 
ance  in  the  same  house,  at  St.  John's,  the 
double  attachment  of  the  father  and  the  son 
rendered  her  situation  extremely  distressing.  It 
is  true,  the  calmness  of  age  delighted  to  gaze 
respectfully  on  her  beauty  ;  but  the  impetu 
osity  of  youth  was  fired  to  madness  by  the 
sight  of  her  charms.  One  day,  the  son,  whose 
attentions  had  been  long  lavished  upon  her  in 
vain,  finding  her  alone  in  a  chamber,  forcibly 
seized  her  hand,  and  solemnly  declared  that 
he  would  now  satiate  the  passion  which  she 
had  so  long  refused  to  indulge.  She  recurred 
to  entreaties,  struggles,  and  tears,  those  preva 
lent  female  weapons  which  the  distraction  of 
danger  not  less  than  the  promptness  of  genius 
is  wont  to  supply  ;  while  he,  in  the  delirium 
of  vexation  and  desire,  snatched  a  dagger,  and 
swore  he  would  put  an  end  to  her  lile  if  she 
persisted  to  struggle.  Mrs.  Howe,  assuming 
the  dignity  of  conscious  virtue,  told  him  it  was 
what  she  most  ardently  wished,  and  begged 
him  to  plunge  the  poignard  through  her  heart, 
since  the  mutual  importunities  and  jealousies 
of  such  rivals  had  rendered  her  life,  though 
innocent,  more  irksome  and  insupportable 
than  death  itself.  Struck  with  a  momentary 
compunction,  he  seemed  to  relent,  and  relax 
his  hold  ;  and  she,  availiag  herself  of  his 
irresolution,  or  absence  of  mind,  escaped  down 
the  stairs.  In  her  disordered  state  she  told  the 
whole  transaction  to  his  father,  who  directed 
7 


70       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

her,  in  future,  to  sleep  in  a  small  bed  at  the 
foot  of  that  in  which  his  wife  lodged.  The 
affair  soon  reached  the  governor's  ears,  and 
the  young  officer  was,  shortly  afterwards,  sent 
on  a  tour  of  duty  to  Detroit. 

This  gave  her  a  short  respite ;  but  she 
dreaded  his  return,  and  the  humiliating  insults 
for  which  she  might  be  reserved.  Her  chil 
dren,  too,  were  ever  present  to  her  melan 
choly  mind.  A  stranger,  a  widow,  a  captive, 
she  knew  not  where  to  apply  for  relief.  She 
had  heard  of  the  name  of  Schuyler — she  was 
yet  to  learn,  that  it  was  only  another  appella 
tion  for  the  friend  of  suffering  humanity.  As 
that  excellent  man  was  on  his  way  from  Que 
bec  to  the  Jerseys,  under  a  parole,  for  a  limit 
ed  time,  she  came,  with  feeble  and  trembling 
steps,  to  him.  The  same  maternal  passion 
which  sometimes  overcomes  the  timidity  of 
nature  in  the  birds,  when  plundered  of  their 
callow  nestlings,  emboldened  her,  notwith 
standing  her  native  diffidence,  to  disclose 
those  griefs  which  were  ready  to  devour  her 
in  silence.  While  her  delicate  aspect  was 
heightened  to  a  glowing  blush,  for  fear  of  of 
fending  by  an  inexcusable  importunity,  or  of 
transgressing  the  rules  of  propriety,  by  repre 
senting  herself  as  being  an  object  of  admira 
tion,  she  told,  with  artless  simplicity,  all  the 
story  of  her  woes.  Colonel  ochuyler,  from 
that  moment,  became  her  protector,  and  en 
deavoured  to  procure  her  liberty.  The  per- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       71 

son  who  purchased  her  from  the  savages,  un 
willing  to  part  with  so  fair  a  purchase,  de 
manded  a  thousand  livres  as  her  ransom.  But 
Colonel  Schujler,  on  his  return  to  Quebec, 
obtained  from  the  governor  an  order,  in  con 
sequence  of  which  Mrs.  Howe  was  given  up 
to  him  for  four  hundred  livres;  nor  did  his 
active  goodness  rest  until  every  one  of  her 
five  sons  was  restored  to  her. 

Business  having  made  it  necessary  that  Col 
onel  Schuyler  should  precede  the  prisoners 
who  were  exchanged,  he  recommended  the 
fair  captive  to  the  protection  of  his  friend  Put 
nam.  She  had  just  recovered  from  the  mea- 
zles  when  the  party  was  preparing  to  set  off 
for  New-England.  By  this  time  the  young 
French  officer  had  returned,  with  his  passion 
rather  increased  than  abated  by  absence.  He 
pursued  her  wheresoever  she  went,  and,  al 
though  he  could  make  no  advances  in  her  af 
fection,  he  seemed  resolved,  by  perseverance, 
to  carry  his  point.  Mrs.  Howe,  terrified  by 
his  treatment,  was  obliged  to  keep  constantly 
near  Major  Putnam,  who  informed  the  young 
officer  that  he  should  protect  that  lady  at  the 
risk  of  his  life.* 

In  the  long  march  from  captivity,  through 
an  inhospitable  wilderness,  encumbered  with 
five  small  children,  she  suffered  incredible 

*  Two  or  three  incidents  respecting  Mrs.  Howe,  which  were 
received  by  the  author  from  General  Putnam,  and  inserted  in  the 
former  editions,  are  omitted  in  this,  as  they  appeared,  on  farther 
information,  to  be  mistakes. 


72        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

hardships,  Though  endowed  with  masculine 
fortitude,  she  was  truly  feminine  in  strength, 
and  must  have  fainted  by  the  way,  had  it  not 
been  for  the v  assistance  of  Major  Putnam. 
There  were  a  thousand  good  offices  which 
the  helplessness  of  her  condition  demanded, 
and  which  the  gentleness  of  his  nature  de 
lighted  to  perform.  He  assisted  in  leading 

her  little  ones,  and  in  carrying  them  over  the 
i  i  f  -  i 

swampy  grounds    and    runs    ol    water,    with 

which  their  course  was  frequently  intersected. 
He  mingled  his  own  mess  with  that  of  the 
widow  and  the  fatherless,  and  assisted  them 
in  supplying  and  preparing  their  provisions. 
Upon  arriving  within  the  settlements,  they  ex 
perienced  a  reciprocal  regret  at  separation, 
and  were  only  consoled  by  the  expectation  of 
soon  mingling  in  the  embraces  of  their  former 
acquaintances  and  dearest  connexions. 

After  the  conquest  of  Canada,  in  1760,  she 
made  a  journey  to  Quebec,  in  order  to  bring 
back  her  two  daughters,  whom  she  had  left 
in  a  convent,  She  found  one  of  them  married 
to  a  French  officer.  The  other  having  con 
tracted  a  great  fondness  for  the  religious  sis 
terhood,  with  reluctance  consented  to  leave 
them  and  return. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  period  when  the 
prowess  of  Britain,  victorious  alike  by  sea  and 
by  land,  in  the  new  and  in  the  old  world,  had 
elevated  that  name  to  the  zenith  of  national 
glory.  The  conquest  of  Quebec  opened  the 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       73 

way  for  the  total  reduction  of  Canada.  On 
the  side  of  the  Lakes,  Amherst  having  cap 
tured  the  posts  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown- 
Point,  applied  himself  to  strengthen  the  latter. 
Putnam,  who  had  been  raised  to  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  present  at  these  ope 
rations,  was  employed  the  remainder  of  this 
and  some  part  of  the  succeeding  season,  in 
superintending  the  parties  which  were  detach 
ed  to  procure  timber  and  other  materials  for 
the  fortification. 

In  1760,  General  Amherst,  a  sagacious,  hu 
mane,  and  experienced   commander,  planned 
the  termination  of  the  war  in  Canada,  by  a 
bloodless  conquest.     For  this  purpose,  three 
armies  were  destined  to  co-operate,  by  differ 
ent  routes,  against  Montreal,  the  only  remain 
ing  place  of  strength  the  enemy  held  in  that 
country.     The  corps  formerly  commanded  by 
General  Wolfe,  now  by  General  Murray,  was 
ordered  to  ascend  the  river  St. Lawrence;  an 
other,   under  Colonel  Haviland,  to  penetrate 
by  the  Isle  Aux  Noix;  and  the  third,  consist 
ing  of  about  ten  thousand  men,  commanded 
by  the  General  himself,  after  passing  up  the 
Mohawk-River,  and  taking  its  course  by  the 
Lake  Ontario,  was  to  form  a  junction  by  fall 
ing  down  the  St.  Lawrence.    In  this  progress, 
more  than  one  occasion    presented    itself  to 
manifest   the    intrepidity   and    soldiership    of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Putnam.    Two  armed  ves 
sels  obstructed  the  passage,  and  prevented  the 


74        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

attack  on   Oswegatchie.     Putnam,  with   one 
thousand  men,  in  fifty  batteaux,  undertook  to 
board    them.       This    dauntless    officer,  ever 
sparing  of  the  blood  of  others,  as  prodigal 
of  his  own,  to  accomplish  it  with  the  less  loss, 
put    himself   (with  a  chosen  crew,   a   beetle 
and  wedges)    in    the  van,  with  a  design  to 
wedge  the  rudders,  so  that  the  vessels  should 
not  be  able  to  turn  their  broadsides,  or  per 
form  an}7  other  manoeuvre.     All  the  men  in 
his  little  fleet  were  ordered  to  strip  to  their 
waistcoats,  and  advance    at    the    same  time. 
He  promised,  if  he  lived,  to  join  and  show 
them  the  way  up  the  sides.      Animated    by 
so  daring    an    example,  they  moved  swiftly, 
in  profound  stillness,  as  to  certain  victory  or 
death.     The  people  on  board  the  ships,  be 
holding    the    good    countenance    with   which 
they  approached,  ran  one  of  the  vessels  on 
shore,  and  struck  the  colours  of   the  other. 
Had    it  not  been  for  the  dastardly  conduct 
of    the    ship's    company  in    the    latter,  who 
compelled  the  Captain  to  haul  down  his  en 
sign,  he  would    have    given  the  assailants  a 
bloody  reception :  for  the  vessels  were  well 
provided  with  spars,  nettings,  and  every  cus 
tomary  instrument  of  annoyance  as  well   as 
defence. 

It  now  remained  to  attack  the  fortress, 
which  stood  on  an  island,  and  seemed  to 
have  been  rendered  inaccessible  by  an  high 
abattis  of  black-ash,  that  every  where  pro- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        75 

jerted  over  the  water.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Putnam  proposed  a  mode  of  attack,  and  offer 
ed  his  services  to  carry  it  into  effect.  The 
General  approved  the  proposal.  Our  parti- 
zan,  accordingly,  caused  a  sufficient  number 
of  boats  to  be  fitted  for  the  enterprize.  The 
sides  of  each  boat  were  surrounded  with  fas 
cines,  musket  proof,  which  covered  the  men 
completely.  A  wide  plank,  twenty  feet  in 
length,  was  then  fitted  to  every  boat  in  such 
manner,  by  having  an  angular  piece  sawed 
from  one  extremity,  that,  when  fastened  by 
ropes  on  both  sides  of  the  bow,  it  might  be 
raised  or  lowered  at  pleasure.  The  design 
was,  that  the  plank  should  be  held  erect  while 
the  oarsmen  forced  the  bow  with  the  utmost  ex 
ertion  against  the  abattis;  and  that  afterwards 
being  dropped  on  the  pointed  brush,  it  should 
serve  as  a  kind  of  bridge  to  assist  the  men  in 
passing  over  them.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Put 
nam  having  made  his  dispositions  to  attempt 
the  escalade  in  many  places  at  the  same  mo 
ment,  advanced  with  his  boats  in  admirable 
order.  The  garrison  perceiving  these  extraor 
dinary  and  unexpected  machines,  waited  not 
the  assault,  but  capitulated.  Lieutenant-Col 
onel  Putnam  was  particularly  honoured  by 
General  Amherst,  for  his  ingenuity  in  this  in 
vention,  and  promptitude  in  its  execution. 
The  three  armies  arrived  at  Montreal  within 
two  days  of  each  other;  and  the  conquest  of 
Canada  became  complete  without  the  loss  of  a 
single  drop  oi  blood. 


76        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

At  no  great  distance  from  Montreal  stands 
the  savage  village  called  Cochnawa^a.     Here 

£j  o  C5 

our  partizan  found  the  Indian  chief  who  had 
formerly  made  him  prisoner.  That  Indian 
was  highly  delighted  to  see  his  old  acquaint 
ance,  whom  he  entertained  in  his  own  well- 
built  stone  house  with  great  friendship  and 
hospitality;  while  his  guest  did  not  discover 
less  satisfaction  in  an  opportunity  of  shaking 
the  brave  savage  by  the  hand,  and  proffering 
him  protection  in  this  reverse  of  his  military 
fortunes. 

When  the  belligerent  powers  were  consid 
erably  exhausted,  a  rupture  took  place  be 
tween  Great  Britain  and  Spain,  in  the  month 
of  January,]  762,  and  an  expedition  was  form 
ed  that  campaign,  under  Lord  Albermarle, 
against  the  Havannah.  A  body  of  Provinci 
als,  composed  of  five  hundred  men  from  the 
Jerseys,  eight  hundred  from  New- York,  and 
one  thousand  from  Connecticut,  joined  his 
Lordship.  General  Lyman,  who  raised  the  reg 
iment  of  one  thousand  men  in  Connecticut,  be 
ing  the  senior  officer,  commanded  the  whole  : 
of  course,  the  immediate  command  of  his  regi 
ment  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Put 
nam.  The  fleet  that  carried  these  troops  sail 
ed  from  New-York,  and  arrived  sately  on  the 
coast  of  Cuba.  There  a  terrible  storm  arose, 
and  the  transport  in  which  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Putnam  had  embarked  with  five  hundred  men, 
was  wrecked  on  a  rift  of  craggy  rocks.  The 
weather  was  «o  trmpcstuou3,  and  the  surf, 


LIFS  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        77 

which  rail  mountain-high,  dashed  with  such 
violence  against  the  ship,  that  the  most  experi 
enced  seaman  expected  it  would  soon  part 
asunder.  The  rest  of  the  fleet,  so  far  from 
being  able  to  afford  assistance,  with  difficulty 
rode  out  the  gale.  In  tiiis  deplorable  situation, 
as  the  only  expedient  by  which  they  could  be 
saved,  strict  order  was  maintained,  and  all 
those  people  who  best  understood  the  use  of 
tools,  instantly  employed  in  constructing  rafts 
from  spars,  plank,  and  whatever  other  materi 
als  could  be  procured.  There  happened  to  be 
on  board  a  large  quantity  of  strong  cords,  (the 
samo  that  are  used  in  the  whale  fishery)  which, 
being  fastened  to  the  rafts,  after  the  first  had 
with  inconceivable  hazard  reached  the  shore, 
were  of  infinite  service  in  preventing  the  oth 
ers  from  driving  out  to  sea,  as  also  in  dragging 
them  athwart  the  billows  to  the  beach;  by 
which  means  every  man  was  finally  saved. 
With  the  same  presence  of  mind  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  circumstances,  an^l  the  same  pre 
caution  to  prevent  confusion*  on  similar  occa 
sions,  how  many  valuable  lives,  prematurely 
lost,  might  have  been  preserved  as  blessings  to 
their  families,  their  friends,  and  their  country  ! 
As  soon  as  all  were  landed,  Lieutenant-Col 
onel  Putnam  fortified  his  camp,  that  he  might 
not  be  exposed  to  insult  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  neighbouring  districts,  or  from  those  of 
Cart.hagena,  who  were  but  twenty-four  miles 
distant.  Here  the  party  remained  unmolested 
several  days,  until  the  storm  had  so  much 


78       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

abated  as  to  permit  the  convoy  to  take  them 
off.  They  soon  joined  the  troops  before  the 
Havannah,  who,  having  been  several  weeks  in 
that  unhealthy  climate,  already  began  to  grow 
extremely  sickly.*  The  opportune  arrival  of 
the  Provincial  reinforcement,  in  perfect  health, 
contributed  not  a  little  to  forward  the  works, 
and  hasten  the  reduction  of  that  important 
place.  But  the  Provincials  suffered  so  misera 
bly  by  sickness  afterwards,  that  very  few  ever 
returned  to  their  native  land  again. 

Although  a  general  peace  among  the  Euro 
pean  powers  was  ratified  in  1763,  yet  the 
savages  on  our  western  frontiers  still  continu 
ed  their  hostilities.  After  they  had  taken 
several  posts,  General  Bradstreet  was  sent,  in 
1764,  with  an  army,  against  them.  Colonel 
Putnam,  then,  for  the  first  time,  appointed  to 
the  command  of  a  regiment,  was  on  the  expedi 
tion,  as  was  the  Indian  chief  whom  I  have  sev 
eral  times  had  occasion  to  mention  as  his  cap- 
turer,  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  Cochnawaga 
warriors.  Before  General  Bradstreet  reach 
ed  Detroit,  which  the  savages  invested,  Cap 
tain  D'Ell,  the  faithful  friend  and  intrepid  fel 
low-soldier  of  Colonel  Putnam,  had  been  slain 

*  Colonel  Haviland,  an  accomplished  officer,  several  times  men 
tioned  in  these  memoirs,  who  brought  to  America  a  regiment  of 
one  thousand  Irish  veterans,  had  but  seventy  men  remaining  alive 
when  he  left  the  Havannah.  Colonel  Haviland,  during  this  siege, 
having  once  with  his  regiment  engaged  and  routed  five  hundred 
Spaniards,  met  Colonel  Putnam  on  his  return,  and  said —  "  Put 
nam,  give  me  a  pinch  of  snuff."  "I  never  carry  any,"  returned 
Putnam.  "  I  have  always  just,  such  luck,"  cried  Haviland  ;  "  the 
rascally  Spaniards  have  shot  away  my  pocket,  snuffbox  and  all." 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        79 

in  a  desperate  sally.  He  having  been  detach 
ed  with  five  hundred  men,  in  1763,  by  Gene 
ral  Amherst,  to  raise  the  siege,  found  means  of 
throwing  the  succour  into  the  fort.  But  the 
garrison,  commanded  by  Major  Glad  wine,  a 
brave  and  sensible  officer,  had  been  so  much 
weakened,  Vy  the  lurking  and  insidious  mode 
of  war  practised  by  the  savages,  that  not  a 
man  could  be  spared  to  co-operate  in  an  at 
tack  upon  them.  The  commandant  would 
even  have  dissuaded  Captain  D'Ell  from  the 
attempt,  on  account  of  the  great  disparity  in 
numbers;  but  the  latter,  relying  on  the  disci 
pline  and  courage  of  his  men,  replied,  "God 
"  foi  bid  that  I  should  ever  disobey  the  orders  of 
"  my  General,"  and  immediately  disposed  them 
for  action.  It  was  obstinate  and  bloody ;  but 
the  vastly  superior  number  of  the  savages 
enabled  them  to  enclose  Captain  D'ElPs  party 
on  every  side,  and  compelled  him,  finally,  to 
fight  his  way,  in  retreat  from  one  stone  house 
to  another.  Having  halted  to  breathe  a  mo 
ment,  he  saw  one  of  his  bravest  sergeants  ly 
ing  at  a  small  distance,  wounded  through  the 
thigh,  and  wallowing  in  his  blood.  Where 
upon  he  desired  some  of  the  men  to  run  and 
bring  the  sergeant  to  the  house,  but  they  de 
clined  it.  Then  declaring,  "that  he  never 
"  would  leave  so  brave  a  soldier  in  the  field  to 
"  be  tortured  by  the  savages,"  he  ran  and  en 
deavoured  to  help  him  up — at  the  instant  a 
volley  of  shot  dropped  them  both  dead  to 
gether.  The  party  continued  retreating  from 


80       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

house  to  house  until  they  regained  the  fort ; 
where  it  was  found  the  conflict  had  been  so 
sharp,  and  lasted  so  long,  that  only  fifty  men 
remained  alive  of  the  five  hundred  who  had 
sallied. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  General  Bradstreet,  the 
savages  saw  that  all  further  efforts,  in  arms, 
would  be  vain,  and  accordingly,  after  many 
fallacious  proposals  for  a  peace,  and  frequent 
tergiversations  in  the  negotiation,  they  con 
cluded  a  treaty,  which  ended  the  war  in  A- 
merica. 

Colonel  Putnam,  at  the  expiration  of  ten 
years  from  his  first  receiving*  a  commission, 
after  having  seen  as  much  service,  endured  as 
many  hardships,  encountered  as  many  dangers, 
and  acquired  as  many  laurels  as  any  officer  of  his 
rank,  with  great  satisfaction  laid  aside  his  uni 
form,  and  returned  to  his  plough.  The  various 
and  uncommon  scenes  of  war  in  which  he  had 
acted  a  respectable  part,  his  intercourse  with 
the  world,  and  intimacy  with  some  of  the  first 
characters  in  the  army,  joined  with  occasional 
reading,  had  not  only  brought  into  view  what 
ever  talents  he  possessed  from  nature,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  had  extended  his  knowledge, 
and  polished  his  manners,  to  a  considerable 
degree.  Not  having  become  inflated  with 

Eride,  or  forgetful  of  his  old  connexions,  he 
ad  the  good  fortune  to  possess   entirely  the 
good  will  of  his  fellow  citizens.     No  character 
stood  fairer  ^in   the  public  eye  for  integrity, 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        81 

bravery,  and  patriotism.  He  was  employed 
in  several  oGices  in  his  own  town,  and  not  un- 
frecjiiently  elected  to  represent  it  in  the  Gene 
ral  Assembly.  Tiie  year  after  his  return  to 
privat^  life,  the  minds  of  men  were  strangely 
agitated,  by  an  attempt  of  the  British  Parlia 
ment  to  introduce  the  memorable  Stamp  Act  in 
America.  This  germe  of  policy,  whose  growth 
was  repressed  by  the  moderate  temperature 
in  which  it  was  kept  by  some  administrations, 
did  not  fully  disclose  its  fruit  until  nearly 
eleven  years  afterwards.  All  the  world  knows 
how  it  then  ripened  into  a  civil  war. 

On  the  twenty-second  day  of  March,  1765, 
the  Stamp  Act  received  the  royal  assent.  It 
was  to  take  place  in  America  on  the  first  clay 
of  November  following.  This  innovation  spread 
a  sudden  and  universal  alarm.  The  political 
pulse  in  the  Provinces,  from  Maine  to  Georgia, 
throbbed  in  sympathy.  The  Assemblies,  in 
most  of  these  colonies,  that  they  might  oppose 
it  legally  and  in  concert,  appointed  Delegates 
to  confer  together  on  the  subject.  This  first 
Congress  met,  early  in  October,  at  New-York. 
T'ley  agreed  upon  a  Declaration  of  Rights 
and  Grievances  of  the  Colonists;  together 
with  separate  Addresses  to  the  King,  Lords, 
and  Commons  of  Great-Britain.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  people  had  determined,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  stamped  paper  from  being  dis 
tributed,  that  the  Stamp-Masters  should  not 
enter  on  the  execution  of  their  office.  That 
8 


82        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

appointment,  in  Connecticut,  had  been  confer 
red  upon  Mr.  Ingersol,  a  very  dignified,  sensi 
ble,  and  learned  native  of  the  colony,  who, 
upon  being  solicited  to  resign,  did  not,  in  the 
first  instance,  give  a  satisfactory  answer.  In 
consequence  of  which,  a  great  number  of  the 
substantial  yeomanry,  on  horseback,  furnished 
with  provisions  for  themselves,  and  provender 
for  their  horses,  assembled  in  the  eastern 
counties,  and  began  their  march  for  New- 
Ha\en,  to  receive  the  resignation  of  Mr.  In- 

ft-rsol.  A  junction  with  another  body  was  to 
ave  been  formed  in  Branford.  But  having 
learned  at  Hartford,  that  Mr.  Ingersol  would 
be  in  town  the  next  day  to  claim  protection 
from  the  Assembly,  they  took  quarters  there, 
and  kept  out  pat  roles  during  the  whole  night, 
to  prevent  bis  arrival  without  their  knowledge. 
The  succeeding  morning  they  resumed  their 
march,  and  met  Mr.  Ingersol  in  Wethersfield. 
They  told  him  their  business,  and  he,  after 
some  little  hesitation,  mounted  on  a  round 
table,  read  his  resignation.*  That  finished, 

*  The  curious  mav  be  pleased  to  know  that  the  resignation  was 
expressed  in  these  explicit  terms  : 

Wethersfield,  September  U;7i.  1765. 

••"I  do  hereby  promise,  that  \  never  will  receive  any  stamped 
papers  which  may  arrive  from  Europe,  in  consequence-  of  an  act 
late  y  passed  in  the  Parliament  of  Great-Britain  ;  nor  officiate  as 
Stamp-Master  or  Distributor  of  Stamps,  within  the  colonj  «>!  C<m- 
.necticut,  either  directly  or  indirect!) .  And  1  do  hereby  notify  to 
all  the  inhabitants  ol'his  Majesty's  colony  of  Connecticut  (i.otwith- 
stamling  the  said  office  or  trust  has  been  committed  to  mr)  not  to 
apply  to  me  everaft'T,  for  any  stamped  paper  ;  hereby  dtclarinf 
that  J  do  resign  the  8(.iil  off,'ce,  ,»nd  c-xti-ute  thete  PRESENTS  of 
jny  own  FREE.  WIL..L  AND  ACCORD,  \iilhout  any  equivocation  o 
mental  reservation. 

"  In  witness  v  hereof  I  have  hereunto  set  mv  hand, 

"  J.  INGERSOL." 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM        83 

the  multitudo  desired  him  to  cry  out  "  liberty 
an  I   property'"'    three   tini.^s  ;    which   lie  did, 
and  was  a ns were  1  hv  tiiree  loud  huzzas.      He 
then  ditied  with  some  of  the  principal  men  at 
a  tavern,  by  whom  fie  was  treated  with  great 
politeness,  and    afterwards    was   escorted    by 
about  live   hundred   horse  to  Hartford,  where 
he  a^aiii  read  his  resignation,  amidst  the  un 
bounded  acclamations  of  the  people.     1  have 
chosen  to  style  this  collection    the  yeomanry, 
the  multitude,  or  the  people,  because  I  could 
not  make  use  of  the  English  word  mob,  which 
generally  signifies  a  disorderly  concurrence  of 
the  rabble,  without  conveying  an   erroneous 
idea.  .  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  the 
people,  their  objects    being  effected,  without 
offering  disturbance,  dispersed  to  their  homes.* 
Colonel  Putnam,  who  instigated  the  people 
to    these   measures,   was   prevented  from  at 
tending  by  accident.      But  he  was   deputed 
soon  after,  with  two  other  gentlemen,  to  wait 
on  Governor  Fitch  on  the  same  subject.    The 
questions  of  the  Governor,  and  answers  of  Put- 
narn,  will  serve  to  indicate    the   spirit   of  the 
times.    After  some  conversation,  the  Governor 
asked,  "  What  he  should  do   if  the  stamped 
paper  should   be  sent  to  him  by  the  King's 

*  To  yive  a  trait  of  the  urbanity  that  prevailed,  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  mention  a  jest  that  passed  in  the  cavalcade  to  Hartford, 
and  Mas  received  with  the  most  perfect  good  humour.  Mr.  In- 
sjersol,  who  by  chance  rode  a  white  hor?e,  being  asked  "  What  he 
thought,  to  find  himself  attended  by  such  a  retinue?" — repjied, 
"that  he  I)  id  now  a  clearer  idea  than  ever  he  had  before  con;-  iv- 
ed  of  that  passage  in  the  Revelations,  which  describes  Death  on  ft 
pule  horse,  and  lull  following  kirn." 


84       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

authority  ?"  Putnam  replied,  "  lock  it  up  until 
we  shall  visit  you  again."  "  And  what  will 
you  do  then?"  "We  shall  expect  you  to  give 
us  the  key  of  the  room  in  which  it  is  deposit 
ed  ;  and,  if  you  think  fit,  in  order  to  screen 
yourself  from  blame,  you  may  forewarn  us, 
upon  our  peril,  not  to  enter  the  room."  "And 
what  will  you  do  afterwards?"  "Send  it  safely 
back  again."  "But  if  I  should  refuse  admission?" 
"  In  such  a  case,  your  house  will  be  levelled 
with  the  dust  in  five  minutes."  It  was  suppos 
ed,  that  a  report  of  this  conversation  was  one 
reason  why  the  stamped  paper  was  never  sent 
from  New-York  to  Connecticut. 

Such  unanimity  in  the  Provincial  Assemblies, 
and  decision  in  the  yeomanry,  carried  beyond 
the  Atlantic  a  conviction  of  the  inexpediency 
of  attempting  to  enforce  the  new  Revenue 
System.  The  Stamp  Act  being  repealed,  and 
the  measures  in  a  manner  quieted,  Colonel 
Putnam  continued  to  labour  with  his  own 
hands, at  farming,  without  interruption,  except, 
for  a  little  time,  by  the  loss  of  the  first  joint  of 
his  right  thumb  from  one  accident,  and  the  com 
pound  fracture  of  his  right  thigh  from  another: 
that  thigh,  being  rendered  nearly  an  inch 
shorter  than  the  left,  occasioned  him  ever  to 
limp  in  his  walk. 

The  Provincial  officers  and  soldiers  from 
Connecticut,  who  survived  the  conquest  of  the 
Havannah,  appointed  General  Lyman  to  re 
ceive  the  remainder  of  their  prize  money,  in 
England.  A  company,  composed  partly  of 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       85 

military,  and  partly  of  other  gentlemen,  whose 
object  was  to  obtain  from  the  crown  a  grant 
of  land  on  the  Mississippi,  also  committed  to 
him  the  negociatiori  of  their  affairs.  When 
several  years  had  elapsed  in  applications,  a 

Erant  of  land  was  obtained.  In  1770,  General 
yman,  with  Colonel  Putnam,  and  two  or 
three  others,  went  to  explore  the  situation. 
After  a  tedious  voyage,  and  a  laborious  pas 
sage  up  the  Mississippi,  they  accomplished 
their  business. 

General  Lyman  came  back  to  Connecticut 
with  tiie  explorers,  but  soon  returned  to  the 
Natchez  :  there  formed  an  establishment  and 
laid  his  bones.  Colonel  Putnam  placed  some 
labourers  with  provisions  and  farming  utensils 
upon  his  location  ;  but  the  increasing  troubles 
shortly  after  ruined  the  prospect  of  deriving 
any  advantage  from  that  quarter. 

In  speaking  of  the  troubles  that  ensued,  I 
not  only  omit  to  say  any  thing  on  the  obnox 
ious  claim  asserted  in  the  British  declaratory 
act,  the  continuation  of  the  duty  on  tea,  the 
attempt  to  obtrude  that  article  upon  the  A- 
mericans,  the  abortion  of  this  project,  the  Bos 
ton  Port.  Bill,  the  alteration  of  the  charter  of 
Massachusetts,  and  other  topics  of  universal 
notoriety ;  but  even  wave  all  discussion  of  ir 
ritations  on  the  one  part,  and  supplications  on 
the  other,  which  preceded  the  war  between 
Great-Britain  and  her  colonies  on  this  conti 
nent.  It  will  ever  be  acknowledged  by 
*8 


86       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

who  were  best  acquainted  with  facts,  and  it 
should  be  made  known  to  posterity,  that  the 
king  of  England  had  not,  in  his  extensive  do 
minions,  subjects  more  loyal,  more  dutiful,  or 
more  zealous  for  his  glory  than  the  Americans; 
and  that  nothing  short  of  a  melancholy  persua 
sion,  that  the  "  measures  which  for  many  years 
had  been  systematically  pursued  by  his  minis 
ters,  were  calculated  to  subvert  their  constitu-, 
lions,"  could  have  dissolved  their  powerful 
attachment  to  that  kingdom  which  they  fondly 
called  their  parent  country.  Here,  without 
digression  to  develope  the  cause,  or  describe 
the  progress,  it  may  suffice  to  observe,  the 
dispute  now  verged  precipitately  to  an  awful 
crisis.  Most  considerate  men  foresaw  it  would 
terminate  in  blood.  But  rather  than  suffer 
the  chains,  which  they  believed  in  prepara 
tion,  to  be  rivetted,  they  nobly  determined  to 
sacrifice  their  lives.  In  vain  did  they  depre 
cate  the  infatuation  of  those  transatlantic 
counsels  which  drove  them  to  deeds  of  despe 
ration.  Convinced  of  the  rectitude  of  their 
cause,  and  doubtful  of  the  issue,  they  felt  the 
most  painful  solicitude  for  the  fate  of  their 
country,  on  contemplating  the  superior 
strength  of  the  nation  with  which  it  was  to 
contend.  America,  thinly  inhabited,  under 
thirteen  distinct  colonial  governments,  could 
have  little  hope  of  success,  but  from  the  pro 
tection  of  providence,  and  the  unconquerable 
spirit  of  freedom  which  pervaded  the  mass  of 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        87 

the  people.  It  is  true,  since  the  peace  she 
had  surprisingly  increased  in  wealth  and  pop 
ulation  ;  but  the  resources  of  Britain  almost 
exceeded  credibility  or  conception.  It  is  not 
wonderful,  then,  that  some  good  citizens,  of 
weaker  nerves,  recoiled  at  the  prospect ;  while 
others,  who  had  been  officers  in  the  late  war, 
or  who  had  witnessed,  by  travelling,  the  force 
of  Britain,  stood  aloof.  All  eyes  were  no\v 
turned  to  find  the  men  who,  possessed  of  mil 
itary  experience,  would  dare,  in  the  approach 
ing  "hour  of  severest  trial,  to  lead  their  undis- 
ciphtied  fellow-citizens  to  battle.  For  none 
were  so  stupid  as  not  to  comprehend,  that 
want  of  success  would  involve  the  leaders  in 
the  punishment  of  rebellion.  Putnam  was 
among  the  first  and  most  conspicuous  who 
stepped  forth.  Although  the  Americans  had 
been,  by  many  who  wished  their  subjugation, 
indiscreetly  as  indiscriminately  stigmatized  with 
tiie  imputation  of  cowardice — he  felt — he  knew 
for  himself,  he  was  no  coward  ;  and  from 
what  he  had  seen  and  known,  he  believed  that 
his  countrymen,  driven  to  the  extremity  of  de 
fending  their  rights  by  arms,  would  find  no 
difficulty  in  wiping  away  the  ungenerous  as 
persion.  As  he  happened  to  be  often  at  Bos 
ton,  he  held  many  conversations,  on  these  sub 
jects,  with  General  Gage,  the  British  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  Lord  Percy,  Colonel  Sheriff, 
Colonel  Small,  and  many  officers  with  whom 
he  had  formerly  served,  who  were  now  at  the 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

Head-Quarters.  Being  often  questioned,  "  in 
case  the  dispute  should  proceed  to  hostilities, 
what  part  he  would  really  take  ?"  he  always 
answered,  "  with  his  country;  and  that,  let  what 
ever  might  happen,  he  was  prepared  to  abide 
the  consequence."  Being  interrogated,  "wheth 
er  he,  who  had  been  a  witness  to  the  prowess 
arid  victories  of  the  British  fleets  and  armies, 
did  not  think  them  equal  to  the  conquest  of 
a  country  which  was  riot  the  owner  of  a  single 
ship,  regiment,  or  magazine  ?"  he  rejoined, 
that  "  he  could  only  say,  justice  would  be  on 
our  side,  and  the  event  with  providence  :  but 
that  he  had  calculated,  if  it  required  six  years 
for  the  combined  forces  of  England  and  her 
colonies  to  conquer  such  a  feeble  country  as 
Canada,  it  would,  at  least,  take  a  very  long 
time  for  England  alone  to  overcome  her  own 
widely  extended  colonies,  which  were  much 
stronger  than  Canada  :  That  when  men  fought 
for  every  thing  dear,  in  what  they  believed  to 
be  the  most  sacred  of  all  causes,  and  in  their 
own  native  land,  they  would  have  great  ad 
vantages  over  their  enemies  who  were  not  in 
the  same  situation;  and  that,  having  taken 
into  view  all  circumstances,  for  his  own  part, 
he  fully  believed  that  America  would  not  be 
so  easily  conquered  by  England  as  those  gen 
tlemen  seemed  to  expect.''  Being  once,  in 
particular,  asked,  "  whether  he  did  not  seri 
ously  believe  that  a  well  appointed  British 
army  of  five  thousand  veterans  could  march 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        89 

through  the  whole  continent  of  America  ?"  he 
replied  briskly,  "  no  doubt,  if  tiiey  behaved 
civilly*  and  paid  well  for  every  thing  they 
wanted  ; — but" — after  a  moment's  pause  add 
ed — "  if  they  should  attempt  it  in  a  hostile 
manner  (though  the  American  men  were  out 
of  the  question)  the  women,  with  their  ladies 
and  broomsticks,  would  knock  them  all  on  the 
head  before  they  had  got  half  way  through." 
This  was  the  tenor,  our  hero  hath  often  told 
me,  of  these  amicable  interviews;  and  thus,  as 
it  commonly  happens  in  disputes  about  future 
events  which  depend  on  opinion,  they  parted 
without  conviction,  no  more  to  meet  in  a  friendly 
manner,  until  after  the  appeal  should  have 
been  made  to  Heaven,  and  the  issue  confirmed 
by  the  sword.  In  the  mean  time,  to  provide 
against  the  worst  contingency,  the  militia  in 
the  several  colonies  was  sedulously  trained ; 
and  those  select  companies,  the  flower  of  our 
youth,  which  were  denominated  minutemen, 
agreeably  to  the  indication  of  their  name,  held 
themselves  in  readiness  to  march  at  a  mo 
ment's  warning. 

At  length  the  fatal  day  arrived,  when  hos 
tilities  commenced.  General  Gage,  in  the 
evening  of  the  18th  of  April,  1 77:3,  detached 
from  Boston,  the  grenadiers  arid  light  infantry 
of  the  army,  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Smith,  to  destroy  some  military  and 
other  stores  deposit^  1  b^  the  province  at  Con- 
coid.  About  sunrise*  the  next  morning,  the 


90 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 


( 

detachment,  on  marching  into  Lexington,  fired 
upon  a  company  of  militia  who  had  just  re 
assembled  ;  for  having  been  alarmed  late  at 
night,  with  reports  that  the  regular*  we;/e  ad 
vancing  to  demolish  the  stores,  they  collected 
on  their  parade*  and  were  dismissed  with  or 
ders  to  reassemble  at  beat  of  drum.  It  is  es 
tablished  by  the  affidavits  of  more  than  thirty 
persons  who  were  present,  that  the  tirst  fire, 
which  killed  eight  of  the  militia,  then  begin 
ning  to  disperse,  was  given  by  the  British, 
without  provocation.  The  spark  of  war,  thus 
kindled,  ran  with  unexampled  rapidity,  and 
raged  with  unwonted  violence.  To  repel  the 
aggression,  the  people  of  the  bordering  towns 
spontaneously  rushed  to  arms,  and  poured  their 
scattering  shot  from  every  convenient  station 
upon  the  regulars,  who,  after  marching  to 
Concord,  arid  destroying  the  magazine,  would 
have  found  their  retreat  intercepted,  had  they 
not  been  reinforced  by  Lord  Percy,  with  the 
battalion  companies  of  three  regiments,  and  a 
body  of  marines.  Notwithstanding  the  junc 
tion,  they  were  hard  pushed,  ana  pursued 
until  they  could  find  protection  from  their 
ships.  Of  the  British,  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  were  killed,  wounded,  and  taken.  The 
Americans  had  thirty-nine  killed,  nineteen 
wounded,  and  two  made  prisoners. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  celerity  with 
which  the  intelligence  flew  every  where,  that 
blood  had  been  shed  by  the  British  troops. 
The  country,  in  motion,  exhibited  but  one 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        91 

scene  of  hurry,  preparation  and  revenge.  Put 
nam,  who  was  plowing  when  lie  heard  the 
news,  left  his  plough  in  the  middle  of  the  field, 
unyoked  his  team,  and  without  waiting  to 
change  his  clothes,  set  off  for  the  theatre  of 
action.  But  finding  the  British  retreated  to 
Boston,  and  invested  by  a  sufficient  force  to 
watch  their  movements,  he  came  back  to 
Connecticut,*  levied  a  regiment,  under  au 
thority  of  the  legislature,  and  speedily  return 
ed  to  Cambridge. t  He  was  now  promoted 
to  be  a  Major-General  on  the  Provincial  staff, 

*  General  Putnam  was  absent  only  one  week  from  the  army  at 
Cambridge  ;  JUH!  then,  for  the  purpose  of  consultation  with  the 
Legislature  of  Connecticut,  at  that  time  in  session;  and  at  the  par 
ticular  request  of  that  bodv.  Hnving  assisted  by  his  advice  in  the 
organiz.-'tio  •  of  a  military  force  for  the  campaign  of  1775,  he  re 
turned  immediately  t»  the  Array  before  Boston,  leaving  orders  for 
the  tro-.'ps  to  fallow  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  after  the  mea 
coutd  he  enlisted  ( Editor. _) 

•j"  An  article,  void  o,  foundation,  mentioning  an  interview  be 
tween  General  Gage  and  General  Putnam,  appeared  in  the  Knglish 
Gazettes  in  these  words:  'General  Gage,  viewing  the  \rner  «ati 
army  wit!-  his  telescope,  stuv  General  Putnam  in  it,  which  surpris 
ed  him  ;  and  he  contrived  to  get  a  message  de  ivered  to  him,  that 
he  wanted  to  speak  to  him.  Putnam,  without  any  h'-sitation,  wait 
ed  upon  him.  General  Gage  showed  him  his  fortifications,  and 
advised  him  to  lay  down  his  arms.  General  Putnam  replied,  he 
couMd  force  his  fortifications  in  half  an  hour,  and  advised  General 
Gage  to  go  on  board  the  ships  with  his  troops' 

The  apprehension  of  an  attack  is  adduced  with  much  more  veri 
similitude  in  M'Fingal,  as  the  reason  why  General  Cage  would  not 
suffer  the  inhabilants  logo  from  the  town  of  Boston,  aftet  he  had 
promised  to  grant  permission  : 

'So  Cage  of  late  agreed,  you  know, 

To  let  the  Boston  pt  ople  go  : 

Yet  when  he  saw,  'gainst  troops  that  brav'd  him, 

They  were  the  oulv  guards  thai  sav'd  him, 

Kept  off  that  Satan  of  a  Putnam. 

Frond  breaking  in  to  maul  and  mutt'n  him, 

He'd  too  much  wit  such  leagues  t'  observe, 

Aud  shut  them  in  again  to  starve.' 

M'FiNGAL.    Canto  I. 


92        LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

bj  his  colony ;  and,  in  a  little  time,  confirmed 
by  Congress,  in  the  same  rank  on  the  Conti 
nental  establishment.  General  Ward,  of  Mas 
sachusetts,  by  common  consent,  commanded 
the  whole  ;  and  the  celebrated  Dr.  Warren 
was  made  a  Major-Gene ral. 

Not  long  after  this  period,  the  British  Com- 
rnander  in  Chief  found  the  means  to  convey  a 
proposal,  privately,  to  General  Putnam,  that 
if  he  would  relinquish  the  rebel  party,  he 
might  rely  upon  being  made  a  Major-General 
on  the  British  establishment,  and  receiving  a 
great  pecuniary  compensation  for  his  services. 
General  Putnam  spurned  at  the  offer;  which, 
however,  he  thought  prudent  at  that  time  to 
conceal  from  public  notice. 

It  could  scarcely  have  been  expected,  but 
by  those  credulous  patriots  who  were  prone 
to  believe  whatever  they  ardently  desired,  tiiat 
officers  assembled  from  colonies  distinct  in 
their  manners  and  prejudices,  selected  from 
laborious  occupations,  to  command  a  hetero- 

feneous  crowd  of  their  equals,  compelled  to 
e  soldiers  only  by  the  spur  of  occasion,  should 
long  be  able  to  preserve  harmony  among 
themselves,  and  subordination  among  their 
followers.  As  the  fact  would  be  a  phenome 
non,  the  idea  was  treated  with  mirth  and 
mockciy  by  the  friends  to  the  British  govern 
ment.  Yet  this  unshaken  embryo  c*  a  military 
corps,  composed  of  militia,  minutemen,  volun 
teers,  and  levies,  with  a  burlesque  appearance 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       93 

of  multiformity  in  arms,  accoutrements,  cloath- 
ing  and  conduct,  at  last  grew  into  a  regular 
army — an  army  which,  having  vindicated  the 
rights  of  human  nature,  and  established  the 
independence  of  a  new  empire,  merited  and 
obtained  the  glorious  distinction  of  the  patriot 
armv — the  patriot  army,  whose  praises  for 
their  fortitude  in  adversity,  bravery  in  battle, 
moderation  in  conquest,  perseverance  in  sup 
porting  the  cruel  extremities  of  hunger  and 
nakedness  without  a  murmur  or  sigh,  as  well 
as  for  their  magnanimity  in  retiring  to  civil 
life,  at  the  moment  of  victory,  with  arms  in 
their  hands,  and  without  any  just  compensa 
tion  for  their  services,  will  only  cease  to  be 
celebrated  when  time  shall  exist  no  more. 

Enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  liberty,  substi 
tuted  in  the  place  of  discipline,  not  only  kept 
these  troops  together,  but  enabled  them  at 
once  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  disciplined 
army.  Though  the  commanding  officers  from 
the  four  colonies  of  New-England  were  in  a 
manner  independent,  they  acted  harmoniously 
in  concert.  The  first  attention  had  been  pru 
dently  directed  towards  forming  some  little 
redoubts  and  intrenchments  ;  for  it  was  well 
known  that  lines,  however  slight  or  untena 
ble,  were  calculated  to  inspire  raw  soldiers 
with  a  confidence  in  themselves.  The  next 
care  was  to  bring  the  live  stock  from  the  isl 
ands  in  Boston  bay,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
enemy  (already  surrounded  by  land,)  from 

9 


94       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

making  use  of  them  for  fresh  provisions.  In 
the  latter  end  of  May,  between  two  and  three 
hundred  men  were  sent  to  drive  off  the  stock 
from  Hog  and  Noddle  islands,  which  are  situ 
ated  on  the  north-east  side  of  Boston  harbour. 
Advantage  having  been  taken  of  the  ebb-tide, 
when  the  water  is  fordable  between  the  main 
and  Hog  island,  as  it  is  between  that  and 
Noddle-island,  the  design  was  effected.  But 
a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  some  of  the  ma 
rines,  who  had  been  stationed  to  guard  them, 
were  killed:  and  as  the  firing  continued  be 
tween  the  British  water-craft  and  our  party, 
a  reinforcement  of  three  hundred  men.  with 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  was  ordered  to  join  the 
latter.  General  Putnam  took  the  command, 
and  having  himself  gone  down  on  the  beach, 
within  conversing  distance,  and  ineffectual 
ly  ordered  the  people  on  board  an  arm 
ed  schooner  to  strike,  he  plied  her  with 
shot  so  furiously  that  the  crew  made  their 
escape,  and  the  vessel  was  burnt  An 
armed  sloop  was  likewise  so  much  disabled  as 
to  be  towed  off  by  the  boats  of  the  fleet. 
Thus  ended  this  affair,  in  which  several  hun 
dred  sheep,  and  some  cattle  were  removed 
from  under  the  muzzles  of  the  enemy's  cannon, 
and  our  men,  accustomed  to  stand  fire,  by 
being  for  many  hours  exposed  to  it,  without 
meeting  with  any  loss. 

The  Provincial  Generals  having  received 
advice  that  the  British  Commander  in  Chief 
designed  to  take  possession  of  the  heights  on 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       95 

the  peninsula  of  Charlestown,  detached  a 
thousand  men  in  the  night  of  the  16th  of  June, 
under  the  orders  of  General  Warren,  to  in 
trench  themselves  upon  one  of  these  eminen 
ces,  named  Bunker-Hill.  Though  retarded 
by  accidents,  from  beginning  the  work  until 
nearly  midnight,  yet,  by  dawn  of  day,  they 
had  constructed  a  redoubt  about  eight  rods 
square,  and  commenced  a  breast-work  from 
the  left  to  the  low  grounds  ;  which  an  insuf 
ferable  fire  from  the  shipping,  floating  batte 
ries,  and  cannon  on  Copp's  Hill,  in  Boston, 
prevented  them  from  completing.  At  mid-day 
four  battalions  of  foot,  ten  companies  of  grena 
diers,  ten  companies  of  light-infantry,  with  a 
proportion  of  artillery,  commanded  by  Major- 
General  Howe,  landed  under  a  heavy  cannon- 
'ade  from  the  ships,  and  advanced  in  three 
lines  to  the  attack.  The  light-infantry  being 
formed  on  the  right,  was  directed  to  turn  the 
left  flank  of  the  Americans ;  and  the  grena 
diers,  supported  by  two  battalions,  to  storm 
the  redoubt  in  front.  Meanwhile,  on  applica 
tion,  these  troops  were  augmented  by  the 
47th  regiment,  the  1st  battalion  of  marines, 
together  with  some  companies  of  light-infan 
try  and  grenadiers,  which  formed  an  aggre 
gate  force  of  between  two  and  three  thousand 
men.*  But  so  difficult  was  it  to  reinforce  the 

The  pr--:ci.vl:ng  nnriigraiih  was  copied  from  a  British  Register, 
being  the  English  account  of  the  troops  sent  to  the  attack  of  Bun 
ker-Hill,  ami  the  disposition  of  those  troops.  This  account,  and 
others,  published  at  the  time,  and  ascribing  the  command  of  the 


96       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

Americans,  by  sending  detachments  across  the 
Neck,  which  was  raked  by  the  cannon  of  the 
shipping,  that  not  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
men  were  brought  into  action.  Few  instan 
ces  can  be  produced  in  the  annals  of  mankind, 
where  soldiers,  who  never  had  before  faced  an 
enemy,  or  heard  the  whistling  of  a  ball,  be 
haved  with  such  deliberate  and  persevering 
valour.  It  was  riot  until  after  the  grenadiers 
had  been  twice  repulsed  to  their  boats,  Gene 
ral  Warren  slain,  his  troops  exhausted  of  their 
ammunition,  their  lines  in  a  manner  enfiladed 
by  artillery,  and  the  redoubt  half  filled  with 
British  regulars,  that  the  word  was  given  to 
retire.  In  that  forlorn  condition,  the  specta 
cle  was  astonishing  as  new,  to  behold  these 
undisciplined  men,  most  of  them  without  bayo 
nets,  disputing  with  the  but-end  of  their  mus 
kets  against  the  British  bayonet,  and  receding 
in  sullen  despair.  Still  the  light-infantry  on 
their  left  would  certainly  have  gained  their 
rear,  and  exterminated  this  gallant  corps,  had 
not  a  body  of  four  hundred  Connecticut  men, 
with  the  Captains  Knowlton  and  Chester,  af 
ter  forming  a  temporary  breast-work,  by  pull 
ing  up  one  post-and-rail  fence  and  putting 
it  upon  another,  performed  prodigies  of  brave 
ry.  They  held  the  enemy  at  bay  until  the 
main  body  had  relinquished  the  heights,  and 
then  retreated  across  the  Neck  with  more 
regularity,  and  less  loss,  than  could  have  been 

American  force  to  Jfatrren,  probab'y  occasioned  the  historical  er 
ror  on  that  subject.  ( Editor. J 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.        97 

expected.  The  British,  who  effected  nothing 
but  the  destruction  of  Charlestown  by  a 
wanton  conflagration,  had  more  than  one  half 
of  their  whole  number  killed  and  wounded : 
the  Americans  only  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  In  this 
battle,  the  presence  and  example  of  General 
Putnam,  who  arrived  with  the  reinforcement, 
were  not  less  conspicuous  than  useful.  He 
did  every  thing  that  an  intrepid  and  experien 
ced  officer  could  accomplish.  The  enemy 
pursued  to  Winter-Hill — Putnam  made  a 
stand,  and  drove  them  back  under  cover  of 
their  ships.* 

The  premature  death  of  Warren,  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  patriots  that  ever  bled  in 
the  cause  of  freedom;  the  veteran  appearance 
of  Putnam,  collected,  yet  ardent  in  action  ;  to 
gether  with  the  astonishing  scenery  and  inter 
esting  groupe  around  Bunker-Hill,  rendered 
this  a  magnificent  subject  for  the  historic  pen 
cil.  Accordingly  Trumbull,  formerly  an  Aid- 
de-Camp  to  General  Washington,  afterwards 
Deputy-Adjutant-General  of  the  northern  ar 
my,  now  an  artist  of  great  celebrity  in  Europe, 
hath  finished  this  picture  with  that  boldness 

*  Such  was  the  statement  made  in  some  American  nev/s-papers 
of  that  day,  but  without  any  foundation  in  fact  There  was  no 
pursuit  of  the  British  beyond  Bunker-Hill  ;  but  General  Pi'.tnam, 
with  most  of  the  retreating;  troops  took  post  on  Prospect-Hill,  aud 
beingjoined  by  others  which  had  not  been  in  action  began  an  en 
trenchment,  and  the  next  morning,  presented  to  the  enemy  anoth 
er  line  of  defence,  equally  formidable  with  that  which  had  beea 
purchased  the  preceding  day,  at  the  ejspeace  of  so  much  blood. 

CEclitor.J 


90       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

of  conception,  and  those  touches  of  art  which 
demonstrate  the  master.  Heightened  in. hor 
ror  by  the  flames  of  a  burning  town,  and  the 
smoke  of  conflicting  armies,  the  principal 
scene,  taken  the  moment  when  Warren  fell, 
represents  that  hero  in  the  agonies  of  death, 
a  grenadier  on  the  point  of  bayoneting  him, 
and  Colonel  Small,  to  whom  he  was  familiarly 
known,  arresting  the  soldier's  arms;  at  the 
head  of  the  British  line,  Major  Pitcairne  is  seen 
falling  dead  into  the  arms  of  his  son ;  and  not 
far  distant  General  Putnam  is  placed  at  the 
rear  of  our  retreating  troops,  in  the  light  blue 
and  scarlet  uniform  he  wore  that  day,  with 
his  head  uncovered,  and  his  sword  waving  to 
wards  the  enemy,  as  it  were  to  stop  their  im 
petuous  pursuit.  In  nearly  the  same  attitude 
he  is  exhibited  by  Barlow  in  that  excellent 
poem,  the  Vision  of  Columbus. 

rt  There  strides  bold  Putnam,  and  from  all  the  plains 
Calls  the  third  host,  the  tardy  rear  sustains, 
And,  'mid  the  whizzing  deaths  that  fill  the  air, 
Waves  back  his  sword,  and  dares  the  foll'wing  war."*1 


*  The  writer  of  this  Essay  had  occasion  of  remarking  to  the 
^oet  and  the  painter,  while  they  were  three  thousand  miles  distant 
from  each  other,  at  which  distance  they  had  formed  and  executed 
the  plans  of  their  respective  productions,  the  similarity  observable 
in  their  descriptions  of  General  Putnam.  These  Chiefs  (Tceuvres 
are  mentioned  not  with  a  vain  presumption  of  adding  eclat  of  du 
ration  to  works  which  have  received  the  seal  of  immortality,  but 
because  they  preserve,  in  the  sister  arts,  the  same  illustrious  action 
of  our  hero.  I  persuade  myself  I  need  not  apologize  for  annexing 
the  beautiful  lines  from  the  poem  in  question,  on  the  death  of 
General  Warren. 

"  There,  hapless  Warren,  thy  cold  earth  was  seen  : 
There  spring  thy  laurels  in  immortal  green  ; 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       99 

After  this  action,  the  British  strongly  forti 
fied  themselves  on  the  peninsulas  of  Boston 
and  Charlestown;  while  the  Provincials  re 
mained  posted  in  the  circumjacent  country  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  blockade.  In*  the 
beginning  of  July,  General  Washington,  who 
had  been  constituted  by  Congress,  Command 
er  in  Chief  of  the  American  forces,  arrived  at 
Cambridge,  to  take  the  command.  Having 
formed  the  army  into  three  grand  divisions, 
consisting  of  about  twelve  regiments  each,  he 
appointed  Major-General  Ward  to  command 
the  right  wing,  Major-General  Lee  the  left 
wing,  and  Major-General  Putnam  the  reserve. 
General  Putnam's  alertness  in  accelerating  the 
construction  of  the  necessary  defences  was 
particularly  noticed  and  highly  approved  by 
the  Commander  in  Chief.* 

About  the  20th  of  July,  the  declaration  of 


Dearest  of  Chiefs  that  ever  press'd  the  plain, 
In  freedom's  cause,  with  early  honours,  slain, 
Still  dear  in  death,  as  when  in  figh»  you  mov'd, 
By   hosts  applauded  and  by  hcav'n  approv'd  ; 
The  faithful  muse  shall  tell  the  world  thy  fume, 
And  unborn  realms  resound  lh'  immortal  name." 

*  Washington  and  Putnam  were  unknown  to  each  other  till 
they  met  at  Cambridge.  The  open,  undisguised  frankness  of  the 
latter,  together  with  his  great  activity  and  persona!  industry,  in 
every  thin::  pertaining  to  the  army,  soon  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  former;  an  early  intimacy  was  formed,  and  a  firm  friendship 
established,  which  eontinued'undisturbed  during  the  whole  period 
they  were  associated  in  service.  It  was  not  in  Putnam's  nature  to 
be  idle  :  inured  to  habits  of  industry  himself,  no  man  was  better 
calculated  to  make  others  so  ;  and  Washington  observing  tlte  great 
progress  that  had  been  made  in  a  short  time,  and  with  but  few 
men,  in  raising  a  work  of  defence,  said  to  him  —  "  you  seem  to 
have  the  faculty  General  Putnam,  of  infusing  your  owu  indu»tnoBS 
spirit  into  all  the  workmen  you  employ.  ' 


100      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

Congress,  setting  '  forth  the  reasons  of  their 
taking  up  arms,  was  proclaimed  at  the  head 
of  the  several  divisions.  It  concluded  with 
these  patriotic  and  noble  sentiments:  "  In  our 
own  native  land,  in  defence  of  the  freedom  that 
is  our  birth-right,  and  which  we  ever  enjoyed 
until  the  late  violation  of  it;  for  the  protection 
of  our  property,  acquired  solely  by  the  honest 
industry  of  our  forefathers  and  ourselves; 
against  violence  actually  offered,  we  have  tak 
en  up  arms.  We  shall  lay  them  down  when 
hostilities  shall  cease  on  the  part  of  the  ag 
gressors,  and  all  clanger  of  their  being  renew 
ed  shall  be  removed,  and  not  before. 
—  "  With  an  humble  confidence  in  the  mercies 
of  the  supreme  and  impartial  Judge  and  Ruler 
of  the  universe,  we  most  devoutly  implore  his 
divine  goodness  to  conduct  us  happily  through 
this  great  conflict,  to  dispose  our  adversaries 
to  reconciliation  on  reasonable  terms,  and, 
thereby,  to  relieve  the  empire  from  the  calami 
ties  of  civil  war." 

As  soon  as  these  memorable  words  were 
pronounced  to  General  Putnam's  division, 
which  he  had  ordered  to  be  paraded  on  Pros 
pect-Hill,  they  shouted  in  three  huzzas  aloud, 
Amen !  whereat  (a  cannon  from  the  fort  being 
fired  as  a  signal)  the  new  Standard  lately  sent 
from  Connecticut,  was  suddenly  seen  to  rise 
and  unrol  itself  to  the  wind.  On  one  side  was 
inscribed,  in  large  letters  of  gold,  "AN  APPEAL 
TO  HEAVEN,"  and  on  the  other  were  delineated 
the  armorial  bearings  of  Connecticut,  which. 


LIFE    OP    GENERAL  J>UTfrA,M.  ' 

without  supporters  or  crest,  consist,  unosten 
tatiously,  of  three  Vines;  with  this  motto,  •'  Qui 
transtulit*  sustinct  ;*  alluding  to  the  pious  con 
fidence  our  forefathers  placed  in  the  protec 
tion  of  Heaven,  on  those  three  allegorical 

Scions KNOWLEDGE  LIBERTY RELIGION 

which  they  had  been  instrumental  in  trans 
planting  to  America. 

The  strength  of  position  on  the  enemy's 
part,  and  want  of  ammunition  on  our's,  pre 
vented  operations  of  magnitude  from  being 
attempted.  Such  diligence  was  used  in  forti 
fying  our  camps,  and  such  precaution  adopted 
to  prevent  surprise,  as  to  ensure  tranquillity 
to  the  troops  during  the  winter.  In  the  spring, 
a  position  was  taken  so  menacing  to  the  ene 
my,  as  to  cause  them,  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1776,  to  abandon  Boston,  not  without  consid 
erable  precipitation  and  dereliction  of  royal 
stores.f 

*  Literally,  "ffe  who  transplanted  them  -will  support  them.'''' 
f  In  the  expectation  that  the  flower  of  the  British  troops  would 
be  employed  against  the  Heights  ot'  Dorchester,  (which  had  been, 
taken  possession  of  by  the  American*  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of 
March,  1776,)  General  Washington  had  concerted  apian  for  avail 
ing  himself  of  that  occasion,  to  attack  the  town  of  Boston  itself. 
Four  thousand  chosen  men  were  held  in  readiness  to  embark  at 
the  mouth  of  Cambridge  river,  nn  a  signal  to  he  given  if  the  garri 
son  should  appear  to  b.e  so  weakened  by  the  detachment  made 
from  it  as  to  justify  an  assault.  These  troops  were  to  embark  in 
two  divisions,  (he  first  to  be  led  by  Brigadier-General  Sullivan,  the 
second  by  Brigadier-Genera!  Green,  and  the  whole  to  be  under  the 
command  of  M«jor-l  eneral  Putnam.  The  boats  were  to  be  preced 
ed  by  three  floating  but'  rics, which  were  to  keep  up  a  heavy  fife  on 
that  part  of  the  to  vn  where  the  troops  were  to  laud.  It.  wns  pro 
posed  that  the  first  division  should  land  at  the  powder-house,  and 
gain  possession  of  Deacon  Hilt;  the  second  at  Barton's  I'oint,  or  a 
little  south  of  it,  and  after  securing  th:it  post,  to  join  the  other  divi 
sion,  force  the  enemy's  works,  ic.d  open  the  gates  in  order  to  give 
admission  to  the  troops  from  Koxbury.  (~ Edilvr.  J 


OR.  GENERAL    PUTNAM. 

As  a  part  of  the  hostile  fleet  lingered  for 
some  time  in  Nantasket-Road,  about  nine 
miles  beiow  Boston,  General  Washington  con 
tinued  himself  in  Boston,  not  only  to  see  the 
coast  entirely  clear,  but  also  to  make  many 
indispensable  arrangements.  His  Excellency, 
proposing  to  leave  Major-General  Ward,  with 
a  few  regiments,  to  finish  the  fortifications  in 
tended  as  a  security  against  an  attack  by 
water,  in  the  mean  time  despatched  the  great 
er  part  of  the  army  to  New-York,  where  it 
was  most  probable  the  enemy  would  make  a 
descent.  Upon  the  sailing  of  a  fleet  with 
troops  in  the  month  of  January,  Major-General 
Lee  had  been  sent  to  the  defence  of  that  city ; 
who,  after  having  caused  some  works  to  be 
laid  out,  proceeded  to  follow  that  fleet  to 
South-Carolina.  The  Commander  in  Chief 
was  now  exceedingly  solicitous  that  these 
works  should  be  completed  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  and  accordingly  gave  the  following 

i;  Orders  and  Instructions  for  Major-General 
Putnam. 

"As  there  are  the  best  reasons  to  believe 
that  the  enemy's  fleet  and  .army,  which  left 
Nantasket-Road  last  Wednesday  evening,  arp 
bound  to  New-York,  to  endeavour  to  possess 
that  important  post,  and,  if  possible,  to  secure 
the  communication  by  Hudson's  river  to  Can 
ada,  it  must  be  our  care  to  prevent  them  from 
accomplishing  their  designs.  To  that  end  I 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      103 

have  detached  Brigadier-General  Heath,  with 
the  whole  body  of  riflemen,  and  five  battalions 
of  the  Continental  army,  by  the  way  of  Nor 
wich,  in  Connecticut,  to  New-York.  These, 
by  an  express  arrived  yesterday  from  General 
Heathy  I  have  reason  to  believe,  are  in  New- 
York.  Six  more  battalions,  under  General 
Sullivan,  march  this  morning  by  the  same 
route,  and  will,  I  hope,  arrive  there  in  eight 
or  ten  days  at  farthest.  The  rest  of  the 
army  will  immediately  follow  in  divisions,  leav 
ing  only  a  convenient  space  between  each  di 
vision,  to  prevent  confusion,  and  want  of  ac 
commodation  upon  their  march.  You  will,  no 
doubt,  make  the  best  despatch  in  getting  to 
New-York.  Upon  your  arrival  there,  you 
will  assume  the  command,  and  immediately 
proceed  in  continuing  to  execute  the  plan 
proposed  by  Major-General  Lee,  for  fortifying 
that  city,  and  securing  the  passes  of  the  East 
and  North  rivers.  If,  upon  consultation  with 
the  Brigadiers  General  and  Engineers,  any  al 
teration  in  that  plan  is  thought  necessary,  you 
are  at  liberty  to  make  it :  cautious]  y  avoiding 
to  break  in  too  much  upon  his  main  design, 
unless  where  it  may  be  apparently  necessary 
so  to  do,  and  that  by  the  general  voice  anu 
opinion  of  the  gentlemen  above-mentioned. 

"You  will  meet  the  Quarter-Master-Gene- 
ral,  Colonel  Mifflin,  and  Commissary-General,* 

Colonel  Joseph  Trumbull,  eldest  son  to  the  Governor  of  tbr»t. 
name. 


104      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

at  New-York.  As  these  are  both  men  of  ex 
cellent  talents  in  their  different  departments, 
you  will  do  well  to  give  them  all  the  authority 
and  assistance  they  require  :  And  should  a 
council  of  war  be  necessary,  it  is  my  direction 
they  assist  at  it. 

44  Your  long  service  and  experience  will,  better 
than  my  particular  directions  at  this  distance, 
point  out  to  you  the  works  most  proper  to 
be  first  raised  ;  and  your  perseverance,  activ 
ity,  and  zeal  will  lead  you,  without  my  recom 
mending  it,  to  exert  every  nerve  to  disappoint 
the  enemy's  designs. 

"  Devoutly  praying  that  the  POWER  which 
has  hitherto  sustained  the  American  arms,  may 
continue  to  bless  them  with  the  divine  pro 
tection,  I  bid  you — FAREWELL. 

"Given  at  Head  Quarters,  in   Cambridge, 
this  twenty-ninth  of  March,  1776. 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 

Invested  with  these  commands,  General 
Putnam  travelled  by  long  and  expeditious 
stages  to  New-York.  His  first  precaution, 
upon  his  arrival,  was  to  prevent  disturbance, 
or  surprise  in  the  night  season.  With  these 
objects  in  view,  after  posting  the  necessary 
guards,  he  issued  his  orders.*  He  instituted, 

•  GENERAL  ORDERS. 

"Head-Quarters,  J\'e-iv-Torfc,  April  5, 1776. 
"The  soldiers  are  strictly  enjoined  to  retire   to  their    barracks 
and  quarters  at  taUoo-beatiug,  and  to  remain  there  uutil  t'\t  re 
veille  is  beat. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       105 

likewise,  other  wholesome  regulations  to  me 
liorate  the  police  of  the  troops,  and  to  pre 
serve  the  good  agreement  that  subsisted  be 
tween  them  and  the  citizens. 

Notwithstanding  the  war  had  now  raged, 
in  other  parts,  with  unaccustomed  severity  for 
nearly  a  year,  yet  the  British  ships  at  New- 
York;  one"  of  which  had  once  fired  upon  the 
town  to  intimidate  the  inhabitants,  found  the 
means  of  being  supplied  with  fresh  water  and 
provisions.  General  Putnam  resolved  to  adopt 
effectual  measures  for  putting  a  period  to  this 
intercourse,  and  accordingly  expressed  his 
prohibition*  in  the  most  pointed  terms. 

Nearly  at  the  same  moment,  a  detachment 
of  a  thousand  Continentals  was  sent  to  oc 
cupy  Governor's  Island,  a  regiment  to  fortify 
Red  Hook,  and  some  companies  of  riflemen 

"  Necessity  obliges  the  General  to  desire  the  inhabitants  of  the 
oitv  to  observe  the  same  rule,  as  no  person  will  be  permitted  to 
pass  any  sentry  after  this  night  without  the  countersign. 

"  The  inhabitants,  whose  business  require  it,  may  know  the 
countersign,  by  applying  to  any  of  the  Brigade-Majors." 

*  PROHIBITION. 

Head- Quarters,  New-York,  April  8,  1776. 

"The  Gcnora!  informs  the  ii: habitants,  that  it  is  become  abso 
lutely  necessary  that  all  communication  betv  een  *he  ministerial 
fleet  and  the  shore  should  be  immediately  stopped ;  for  that  pur 
pose  he  has  given  positive  orders,  the  ships  should  no  longer  be 
furnished  wilh  provisions.  Any  inhabitants,  or  others,  who  shall 
be  taken  that  have  been  on  board,  after  the  publishing  t.his  ordera 
or  near  an}'  of  the  ships,  or  going  on  bourd,  will  be  considered  as 
enemies,  and  treated  accordingly. 

"  All  boats  are  to  sail  tVom  Beekman  slip.  Captain  James  Alner 
is  appoint*}  inspector,  arid  will  give  permits  to  oyster. r»  en.  It  ie 
i.-rdered  and  expected  that  none  attempt  going  without  a  pstss. 

"ISRAEL  PUTNAM, 

"  Major-General   in  the  Continental  Arn>y,  and  Commander 
iu  Chief  of  the  Foic^b  i:i  New-York." 

10 


106  LIFE    OF    GENERAL    PUTNAM. 

to  the  Jersey  shore.  Of  two  boats,  belonging 
to  two  armed  vessels,  which  attempted  to  take 
on  board  fresh  water  from  the  watering  place 
on  Staten-Island,  one  was  driven  off  by  the 
riflemen,  with  two  or  three  seamen  kiiied  in 
it,  and  the  other  captured  with  thirteen.  A 
few  days  afterwards,  Captain  Vandeput,  of 
the  Asia  man  of  war,  the  senior  officer  of  the 
ships  on  this  station,  finding  the  intercourse 
with  the  shore  interdicted,  their  limits  con 
tracted,  and  that  no  good  purposes  could  be 
answered  by  remaining  there,  sailed,  with  all 
the  armed  vessels,  out  of  the  harbour.  These 
arrangements  and  transactions,  joined  to  an 
unremitting  attention  to  the  completion  of  the 
defences,  gave  full  scope  to  the  activity  of 
General  Putnam,  until  the  arrival  of  General 
Washington,  which  happened  about  the  middle 
of  April. 

The  Commander  in  Chief,  in  his  first  public 
orders,  "  complimented  the  officers  who  had  suc 
cessively  commanded  at  New-York,  and  return 
ed  his  thanks  to  them  as  well  as  to  the  officers 
and  soldiers  under  their  command,  for  the 
many  works  of  defence  which  had  been  so  ex- 
peditiously  erected :  at  the  same  time  he  ex 
pressed  an  expectation  that  the  same  spirit  of 
zeal  for  the  service  would  continue  to  animate 
their  future  conduct."  Putnam,  who  was  then 
the  only  Major-General  with  the  main  army, 
had  still  a  chief  agency  in  forwarding  the  for 
tifications,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  the 


LIFE    OF    GENERAL    PUTNAM.  107 

Brigadiers  Spencer  and  Lord  Stirling,  in  as 
signing  to  the  different  corps  their  alarm  posts. 
Congress  having  intimated  a  desire  of  con 
sulting  with  the  Commander  in  Chief,  on  the 
critical  posture  of  affairs,  his  Excellency  re 
paired  to  Philadelphia  accordingly,  and  was 
absent  from  the  twenty-first  of  May  until  the 
sixth  of  June.  General  Putnam,  who  com 
manded  in  that  interval,  had  it  in  charge  to 
open  all  letters  directed  to  General  Washing 
ton,  on  public  service, 'and,  if  important,  after 
regulating  his  conduct  by  their  contents,  to 
forward  them  by  express ;  to  expedite  the 
works  then  erecting;  to  begin  others  which 
were  specified ;  to  establish  signals  for  com 
municating  an  alarm ;  to  guard  against  the 
possibility  of  surprise  ;  to  secure  well  the 
powder  magazine ;  to  augment,  by  every  means 
in  his  power,  the  quantity  of  cartridges  ;  and 
to  send  Brigadier-General  Lord  Stirling  to 
put  the  posts  in  the  Highlands  into  a  proper 
condition  of  defence.  He  had  also  a  private 
and  confidential  instruction,  to  afford  whatever 
aid  might  be  required  by  the  Provincial  Con 
gress  of  New- York,  for  apprehending  certain 
of  their  disaffected  citizens  :  and  as  it  would 
be  most  convenient  to  take  the  detachment 
for  this  service  from  the  troops  on  Long- 
Island,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier- 
General  Greene,  it  was  recommended  that 
this  officer  should  be  advised  of  the  plan,  and 
that  the  execution  should  be  conducted  witk 


168      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

secrecy  and  celerity,  as  well  as  with  decency 
and  good  order.  In  the  records  of  the  army 
are  preserved  the  daily  orders  which  were 
issued  in  the  ahsence  of  the  Commander  in 
Chief,  who,  on  his  return,  was  not  only  satis 
fied  that  the  works  had  been  prosecuted  with 
all  possible  despatch,  but  also  that  the  other 
duties  had  been  properly  discharged. 

It  was  the  latter  end  of  June,  when  the 
British  fleet,  which  had  been  at  Halifax  wait 
ing  for  reinforcements  from  Europe,  began  to 
arrive  at  New-York.  To  obstruct  its  passage, 
some  marine  preparations  had  been  made.  Gen 
eral  Putnam,  to  whom  the  direction  of  the  whale- 
boats,  fire-rafts,  flat-bottomed  boats,  and  armed 
vessels,  was  committed,  afforded  his  patronage 
to  a  project  for  destroying  the  enemy's  ship 
ping  by  explosion.  A  machine,  altogether  dif- 
ierent  from  any  thing  hitherto  devised  by  the 
art  of  man,  had  been  invented  by  Mr.  David 
Bushnell,*  for  sub-marine  navigation,  which 

*  David  Bushnell,  A.M.  of  Saybrook,  in  Connecticut,  invented 
several  other  machines  for  the  annoyance  of  shipping;  these,  from 
accidents,  not  militating  against  the  philosophical  principles  on 
which  their  success  depended,  only  partially  succeeded.  He  de 
stroyed  a  vessel  in  the  charge  of  Commodore  Symmoffds,  whose 
report  to  the  Admiral  was  published.  One  of  his  kegs  also  de 
molished  a  vessel  near  the  Long-Island  shore.  About  Christmas, 
1777,  he  committed  to  the  Delaware  a  number  of  kegs,  destined 
to  fail  among  the  British  fleet  at  Philadelphia  ;  hut  his  squadiou 
of  kegs,  having  been  separated  and  retarded  by  the  ice,  demolished 
but  a  single  bout.  This  catastrophe,  however,  produced  an  alarm, 
unprecedented  in  its  nature  and  degree  ;  which  has  been  so  hap 
pily  described  in  the  subsequent  song,  by  the  Hon.  Francis  llop- 
kitison,  that  the  event  it  celebrates  will  not  be  forgotten,  so  long  as 
mankind  shall  continue  to  he  delighted  with  works  of  humour  and 
taste. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      109 

was  found  to  answer  the  purpose  perfectly, 
of  rowing  horizontally  at  any  given  depth 
under  water,  and  of  rising  or  sinking  at  pleas- 

TIIE  BATTLE  OF  THE  KEGS:— .4  Song. 
Tune,  M'»g-5>  Lawder. 

Gallants,  attend,  and  hear  a  friend 

Thrill  forth  harmonious  ditty  : 
Strange  things  I'll  tell,  which  late  befel 

In  Philadelphia  city. 

'Twas  early  day,  as  poets  say, 

Just  when  the  sun  was  •  i>ing, 
A  soldier  stood  on  log  of  wood, 

And  saw  a  sight  surprising. 

As  in  a  maze  he  stood  to  gaze, 

The  truth  can't  be  denied,  Sir, 
He  spied  a  score  of  kegs  or  more, 

Come  floating  down  the  tide,  Sir. 

A  sailor,  too,  in  jerkin  blue, 

The  strange  appearance  viewing, 
First  damn'd  his  eyes,  in  great  surprise, 

Then  said — "  Some  mischief's  brewing. 

"  These  Kegs  now  hold  the  rebels  bold, 

"  1'ack'd  up  like  pickled  herring; 
"  And  they're  come  down,  t*  attack  the  town 

"In  this  new  way  of  ferry 'ng." 

The  soldier  flew  ;  the  sailor  too  ; 

And,  scar'd  almost  to  death,  Sir, 
Wore  out  their  shoes  to  spread  the  news, 

And  ran  till  out  of  breath,  Sir. 

Now  up  and  down,  throughout  the  town, 

Most  frantic  scenes  were  acted  ; 
And  some  ran  here,  ard  some  ran  there, 

Like  men  almost  distracted. 

Some  fire  cried,  which  some  denied, 

But  said  the  earth  hnd  quaked  : 
And  girls  and  bovs,  with  hideous  noise, 

Ran  through  the  town  half  naked. 

Sir  William*  he,  snug  as  a  flea, 
Lay  all  this  time  a  snoring  ; 

*  Sir  William  HOIK. 

10* 


110      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

ure.  To  this  machine,  called  the  American 
Turtle,  was  attached  a  magazine  of  powder, 
which  it  was  intended  to  be  fastened  under 


]N^>r  dreamt  of  harm,  as  he  lay 
In  bed  with  Mrs.  L*r*ng. 

%  Now  in  a  fright,  he  starts  upright, 

Awak'd  by  such  a  clatter  : 
He  rubs  both  eyes,  and  boldly  cries, 
"For  God's  sake,  what's  the  matter?" 

At  his  bed-side  he  then  espied 

Sir  Erskine*  at  command,  Sir; 
Upon  one  foot  he  had  one  boot, 

And  t'other  in  his  hand,  Sir. 

**  Arise  !  arise  !"  Sir  Brskine  cries  ; 

"  The  rebels — more's  the  pity — 
"  Without  a  boat,  are  all  on  float, 

"  And  rang'd  before  the  city. 

"The  motley  crew,  in  vessels  new, 

•'With  Satan  for  their  guide,  Sir, 
"  Pack'd  up  in  bags,  or  wooden  kegs, 

"Come  driving  down  the  tide,  Sir: 

"Therefore  prepare  for  blood}'  war  ; 

"  These  kegs  must  all  be  routed, 
«J  Or  surely  we  despis'd  shall  be, 

*'  And  British  courage  doubted." 

The  Royal  band  now  ready  stand, 

All  raiig'd  in  dread  array,  .Sir, 
With  stomachs  stout,  to  see  it  out, 

And  make  a  bloody  day,  Sir. 

The  cannons  roar  from  shore  to  shore, 

The  small  arms  make  a  rattle  : 
Since  wars  began,  I'm  sure  no  man 

E'er  saw  so  strange  a  battle. 

The  rebelj"  vales,  the  i-ebel  dales, 

With  rebel  trees  surrounded, 
The  distant  woods,  the  hills  and  floods, 

With  rebel  echoes  sounded. 

*  Sir  William  Erskine:. 

f  The  .British  officers  -vcre  so  fond  of  the  -word  rebel,  that  they 
»fen  applied  it  most  absurdly. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.     Ill 

the  bottom  of  a  ship,  with  a  driving  screw,  in 
such  sort,  that  the  same  stroke  which  disen 
gaged  it  from  the  machine,  should  put  the 
internal  clock-work  in  motion.  This  being 
done,  the  ordinary  operation  of  a  gun-lock 
at  the  distance  of  half  an  hour,  an  hour,  or 
any  determinate  time,  would  cause  the  powder 
to  explode,  and  leave  the  effects  to  the  com 
mon  laws  of  nature.  The  simplicity,  yet 
combination  discovered  in  the  mechanism  of 
this  wonderful  machine,  were  acknowledged 
by  those  skilled  in  physics,  and  particularly 
hydraulics,  to  be  not  less  ingenious  than  novel. 

The  fish  below  swam  to  and  fro, 

AUack'd  from  ev'ry  quarter; 
"  Why  sure,"  thought  they,  "the  Devil's  to  pay 

"  Mong'st  folks  above  the  water." 

The  kegs,  'tis  said,  though  strongly  made 

Of  rebel  staves  and  hoons,  Sir, 
Could  not  oppose  their  pow'rful  foes. 

The  conqu'riug  British  troops,  Sir. 

From  morn  to  night  those  men  of  might 

Display' (I  amazing  courage; 
And  when  the  sun  was  fairly  down, 

Retir'd  to  sup  their  porridge. 

An  hundred  men,  with  each  a  pen, 

Or  more,  upon  my  word,  Sir, 
It  is  most  true,  would  be  too  few 

Their  valour  to  record,  Sir. 

Such  feats  did  they  perform  that  day, 

Upon  those  wicked  kegs,  Sir, 
That  years  to  come,  if  they  get  home, 

They'll  make  their  boasts  and  brags,  Sir. 

Mr.  Bushnell,  having  been  highly  recommended  for  his  talents 
by  President  Stiles,  General  Parsons,  and  some  other  gentlemen 
of  science,  was  appointed  a  Captain  in  the  corps  of  sappers  and 
miners  ;  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  serve  with  that  corps 
until  the  conclusion  of  the  war. 


112      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

The  inventor,  whose  constitution  was  too  fee 
ble  to  permit  him  to  perform   the   labour  of 
rowing  the  Turtle,  had  taught  his  brother  to 
manage  it  with  perfect  dexterity  ;   but  unfor 
tunately  his  brother  fell  sick  of  a   fever  just 
before  the  arrival  of  the  fleet.     Recourse  was 
.therefore  had  to  a  sergeant  in  the  Connecticut 
troops ;    who,   having  received   whatever  in 
structions  could  be  communicated  to  him   in 
a  short  time,  went,  too  late  in  the  night,  with 
all  the   apparatus,  under  the  bottom  of  the 
Eagle,  a    sixty-four   gun    ship,   on   board   of 
which  the  British  Admiral,  Lord  Howe,  com 
manded.     In   coming   up,  the  screw  that  had 
been    calculated     to    perforate    the    copper 
sheathing,  unluckily  struck  against  some  iron 
plates  where  the  rudder  is  connected  with  the 
stern.     This   accident,  added   to  the  strength 
of  the  tide  which  prevailed,  and   the  want  of 
adequate  skill  in  the  sergeant,  occasioned  such 
delay,  that  the  dawn  began  to  appear,  where 
upon  he  abandoned   the  magazine  to  chance, 
and  after  gaining  a   proper  distance,  for  the 
sake  of  expedition,  rowed  on  the  surface  to 
wards  the  town.     General  Putnam,  who  had 
been  on  the  wharf  anxiously   expecting  the 
result,  from  the  first  glimmering  of  light,  be 
held  the  machine  near  Governor's-Island,  and 
sent  a  whale-boat   to  bring  it  on  shore.     In 
about  twenty  minutes  afterwards  the  magazine 
exploded,  and   blew  a  vast  column   of  water 
to   an   amazing  height  in   the  air.     As   the 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      113 

whole  business  had  been  kept  an  inviolable 
secret,  he  was  not  a  little  diverted  with  the 
various  conjectures,  whether  this  stupendous 
noise  was  produced  by  a  bomb,  a  meteor,  a 
water-spout,  or  an  earthquake.  Other  opera 
tions  of  a  most  serious  nature  rapidly  suc 
ceeded,  and  prevented  a  repetition  of  the  ex 
periment. 

On  the  twenty-second  day  of  August,  the 
van  of  the  British  landed  on  Long  Island,  arid 
was  soon  followed  by  the  whole  army,  except 
one  brigade  of  Hessians,  a  small  body  of  Brit 
ish,  and  some  convalescents,  left  on  Staten- 
Island.  Our  troops  on  Long  Island  had  been 
commanded  during  the  summer  by  General 
Greene  who  was  now  sick  ;  and  General  Put 
nam  took  the  command  but  two  days  before 
the  battle  of  Flatbush.  The  instructions  to 
him,  pointing  in  the  first  place  to  decisive  ex 
pedients  for  suppressing  the  scattering,  un 
meaning,  and  wasteful  fire  of  our  men,  con 
tained  regulations  for  the  service  of  the  guards, 
the  Brigadiers  and  the  Field-officers  of  the 
day  ;  for  the  appointment  and  encouragement 
of  proper  scouts,  as  well  as  for  keeping  the 
men  constantly  at  their  posts  ;  for  preventing 
the  burning  of  buildings,  except  it  should  be 
necessary  for  military  purposes,  and  for  pre 
serving  private  property  from  pillage  and  de 
struction.  To  these  regulations  were  added, 
in  a  more  diffuse,  though  not  less  spirited  and 
professional  style,  reflections  on  the  distinction 


114      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

of  an  army  from  a  mob  ;  with  exhortations  for 
the  soldiers  to  conduct  themselves  manfully  in 
such  a  cause,  arid  for  their  Commander  to 
oppose  the  enemy's  approach  with  detach 
ments  of  his  best  troops ;  while  he  should 
endeavour  to  render  their  advance  more  diffi 
cult  by  constructing  abbatis,  and  to  entrap 
their  parties  by  forming  ambuscades.  General 
Putnam  was  within  the  lines,  when  an  engage 
ment  took  place  on  the  27th,  between  the 
British  army  and  our  advanced  corps,  in  which 
we  lost  about  a  thousand  men  in  killed  and 
missing,  with  the  Generals  Sullivan  and  Lord 
Stirling  made  prisoners.  But  our  men,  though 
attacked  on  all  sides,  fought  with  great 
bravery;  and  the  enemy's  loss  was  not  light. 
The  unfortunate  battle  of  Long-Island,  the 
masterly  retreat  from  thence,  and  the  actual 
passage  of  part  of  the  hostile  fleet  in  the  East- 
River,  above  the  town,  preceded  the  evacua 
tion  of  New  York.  A  promotion  of  four 
Major-Generals,  and  six  Brigadiers,  had  pre 
viously  been  made  by  Congress.  After  the 
retreat  from  Long-Island,  the  main  army,  con 
sisting,  for  the  moment,  of  sixty  battalions,  of 
which  twenty  were  Continental,  the  residue 
levies  and  militia,  was,  conformably  to  the  ex 
igencies  of  the  service,  rather  than  to  the  rules 
of  war,  formed  into  fourteen  brigades.  Major- 
General  Putnam  commanded  the  right  grand 
division  of  five  brigades,  the  Majors-General 
Spencer  and  Greene  the  centre  of  six  brigades, 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      115 

and  Major-General  Heath  the  left,  which  was 
posted  near  King's-bridge,  and  composed  of 
two  brigades.  The  whole  never  amounted 
to  twenty  thousand  effective  men  ;  while  the 
British  and  German  forces,  under  Sir  William, 
Howe,  exceeded  twenty-two  thousand :  in 
deed,  the  minister  had  asserted  in  parliament 
that  they  would  consist  of  more  than  thirty 
thousand.  Our  two  centre  divisions,  both 
commanded  by  General  Spencer,  in  the  sick 
ness  of  General  Greene,  moved  towards 
Mount  Washington,  Harlaem  Heights,  and 
Horn's  Hook,  as  soon  as  the  final  resolution 
was  taken  in  a  council  of  war,  on  the  twelfth 
of  September,  to  abandon  the  city.  That 
event,  thus  circumstanced,  took  effect  a  few 
days  alter. 

On  Sunday,  the  fifteenth,  the  British,  after 
sending  three  ships  of  war  up  the  North- 
River,  to  Bloomingdale,  and  keeping  up,  for 
some  hours,  a  severe  cannonade  on  our  lines, 
from  those  already  in  the  East-River,  landed 
in  force  at  Turtle  Bay.  Our  new  levies,  com 
manded  by  a  State  Brigadier-General,  fled 
without  making  resistance.  Two  brigades 
of  General  Putnam's  division,  ordered  to 
their  support,  notwithstanding  the  exertion  of 
their  Brigadiers,  and  of  the  Commander  in 
Chief  himself,  who  came  up  at  the  instant, 
conducted  themselves  in  the  same  shameful 
manner.  His  Excellency  then  ordered  the 
Heights  of  Harlaem,  a  strong  position,  to  be 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

occupied.  Thither  the  forces  in  tlie  vicinity, 
as  well  as  the  fugitives,  repaired,  In  the 
mean  time  General  Putnam,  with  the  remain 
der  of  his  command,  and  the  ordinary  out 
posts,  was  in  the  city.  Aftor  having  caused 
the  brigades  to  begin  their  retreat  by  the 
route  of  Bioomingdale,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
enemy,  who  were  then  in  the  possession  of  the 
main  road  leading  to  KingVbridge,  he  gal- 
lopped  to  call  on  the  pickets  and  guards. 
Having  myself  been  a  volunteer  in  his  division, 
and  acting  Adjutant  to  the  last  regiment  that 
left  the  city,  I  had  frequent  opportunities,  that 
day,  of  beholding  him,  for  the  purpose  of  issu 
ing  orders,  and  encouraging  the  troops,  flying, 
on  his  horse  covered  with  foam,  wherever  his 
presence  was  most  necessary.  Without  his 
extraordinary  exertions,  the  guards  must  have 
been  inevitably  lost,  and  it  is  probable  the 
entire  corps  would  have  been  cut  in  pieces. 
When  we  were  not  far  from  Bioomingdale,  an 
Aid-de-camp  came  from  him  at  full  speed,  to 
inform  that  a  column  of  British  infantry  was 
descending  upon  our  right.  Our  rear  was 
soon  fired  upon,  and  the  Colonel  of  our  re^"  • 
ment,  whose  order  was  just  communicated  for 
the  front  to  file  off  to  the  left,  was  killed  on 
the  spot.  With  no  other  loss  we  joined  the 
army,  after  dark,  on  the  Heights  of  Harlaem. 
Before  our  brigades  came  in,  we  were 
given  up  for  lost  by  all  our  friends.  So  criti 
cal  indeed  was  our  situation,  and  so  narrow 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      117 

the  gap  by  which  we  escaped,  that  the  instant 
we  had  passed  the  enemy  closed  it  by  extending 
their  line  from  river  to  river.  Our  men,  who 
had  been  fifteen  hours  under  arms,  harassed 
by  marching  and  countermarching,  in  conse 
quence  of  incessant  alarms,  exhausted  as  they 
were  by  heat  and  thirst  (for  the  day  proved 
insupportably  hot,  and  few  or  none  had  can 
teens,  insomuch,  that  some  died  at  the  brooks 
where  they  drank)  if  attacked,  could  have 
made  but  feeble  resistance. 

If  we  take  into  consideration  the  debilitat 
ing  sickness  which  weakened  almost  all  our 
troops,  the  hard  duty  by  which  they  were 
worn  down  in  constructing  numberless  de 
fences,  the  continual  want  of  rest  they  had 
suffered  since  the  enemy  landed,  in  guarding 
from  nocturnal  surprise,  the  despondency  in 
fused  into  their  minds  by  an  insular  situation, 
and  a  consciousness  of  inferiority  to  the  enemy 
in  discipline,  together  with  the  disadvanta 
geous  terms  upon  which,  in  their  state  of  sep 
aration,  they  might  have  been  forced  to 
engage,  it  appears  highly  probable  that  day 
would  have  presented  an  easy  victory  to  the 
British.  On  the  other  side,  the  American 
Commander  in  Chief  had  wisely  countenanced 
an  opinion,  then  universally  credited,  that  our 
army  was  three  times  more  numerous  than  it 
was  in  reality.  It  is  not  a  subject  for  aston 
ishment,  that  the  British,  ignorant  of  the  exist 
ing  circumstances,  imposed  upon  as  to  the 
11 


118      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM; 

numbers  by  reports,  and  recollecting  what  a 
few  brave  men,  slightly  entrenched,  had  per 
formed  at  Bunker-Hill,  should  proceed  with 
great  circumspection.  For  their  reproaches, 
that  the  rebels,  as  they  affected  to  style  us, 
loved  digging  better  than  fighting,  and  that 
they  earthed  themselves  in  holes  like  foxes, 
but  ill  concealed  at  the  bottom  of  their 
own  hearts  the  profound  impression  that  ac 
tion  had  made.  Cheap  and  contemptible  as 
we  had  once  seemed  in  their  eyes,  it  had 
taught  them  to  hold  us  in  some  respect.  This 
respect,  in  conjunction  with  a  fixed  belief, 
that  the  enthusiastic  spirit  of  our  opposition 
must  soon  subside,  and  that  the  inexhaustible 
resources  of  Britain  would  ultimately  triumph, 
without  leaving  any  thing  to  chance  (not  the 
avarice  or  treachery  of  the  British  General, 
as  the  factious  of  his  own  nation  wished  to  in 
sinuate,)  retarded  their  operation,  and  afforded 
us  leisure  to  rescue  from  annihilation  the  mis 
erable  relics  of  an  army,  hastening  to  dissolu 
tion  by  the  expiration  of  enlistments,  and  the 
country  itself  from  irretrievable  subjugation. 

IN  TRUTH,  WE  ARE  NOT  LESS  INDEBTED  TO  THE 
MATTOCK  AT  ONE  PERIOD,  THAN  TO  THE  MUSKET 
AT  ANOTHER,  FOR  OUR  POLITICAL  SALVATION. 

It  required  great  talents  to  determine  when 
one  or  the  other  was  most  profitably  to  be 
employed.  I  am  aware  how  fashionable  it 
has  become  to  compare  the  American  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  for  the  prudence  displayed 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      119 

in  those  dilatory  and  defensive  operations,  so 
happily  prosecuted  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
war,  to  the  illustrious  Roman,  who  acquired 
immortality  in  restoring  the  Commonwealth 
by  delay.  Advantageous  and  flattering  as  the 
comparison  at  first  appears,  it  will  be  found, 
on  examination,  to  stint  the  American  Fabius 
to  the  smaller  moiety  of  his  merited  tame. 
Did  HE  not,  in  scenes  of  almost  unparalleled 
activity,  discover  specimens  of  transcendent 
abilities  ;  and  might  it  not  be  proved,  to  pro 
fessional  men,  that  boldness  in  council,  and 
rapidity  in  execution,  were,  at  least,  equally 
with  prudent  procrastination,  and  the  quality 
of  not  being  compelled  to  action,  attributes  of 
his  military  genius  ?  This^  however,  was  an 
occasion,  as  apparent  as  pressing,  for  attaining 
his  object  by  delay.  From  that  he  had  every 
thing  to  gain,  nothing  to  lose.  Yet  there  were 
not  wanting  politicians,  AT  THIS  VERY  TIME, 
who  querulously  blamed  these  Fabian  meas 
ures,  and  loudly  clamoured  that  the  immense 
labour  and  expense  bestowed  on  the  fortifica 
tion  of  New- York,  had  been  thrown  away; 
that  if  we  could  not  face  the  enemy  there 
after  so  many  preparations,  we  might  as  well 
relinquish  the  contest  at  once,  for  we  could 
no  where  make  a  stand;  and  that  if  General 
Washington,  with  an  army  of  sixty  thousand 
men,  strongly  entrenched,  declined  fighting 
with  Sir  William  Howe,  who  had  little  more 
than  one  third  of  that  number,  it  was  Hot  to 


120      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

be  expected  he  would  find  any  other  occa 
sion  that  might  induce  him  to  engage.  But 
General  Washington,  content  to  suffer  a  tem 
porary  sacrifice  of  personal  reputation,  for  the 
sake  of  securing  a  permanent  advantage  to 
his  country,  and  regardless  of  those  idle  clam 
ours  for  which  he  had  furnished  materials,  by 
making  his  countrymen,  in  order  the  more 
effectually  to  make  his  enemy  believe  his 
force  much  greater  than  it  actually  was,  in 
flexibly  pursued  his  system,  and  gloriously 
demonstrated  how  poor  and  pitiful,  in  the  es 
timation  of  A  GREAT  MIND,  are  the  censorious 
strictures  of  those  novices  in  war  and  politics, 
who,  with  equal  rashness  and  impudence,  pre 
sume  to  decide  dogmatically  on  the  merit  of 
plans  they  could  neither  originate  or  compre 
hend! 

That  night  our  soldiers,  excessively  fatigued 
by  the  sultry  march  of  the  day,  their  clothes 
wet  by  a  severe  shower  of  rain  that  succeeded 
towards  the  evening,  their  blood  chilled  by 
the  cold  wind  that  produced  a  sudden  change 
in  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  their  hearts 
sunk  within  them  by  the  loss  of  baggage,  ar 
tillery,  and  works  in  which  they  had  been 
taught  to  put  great  confidence,  lay  upon  their 
arms,  covered  only  by  the  clouds  of  an  uncom 
fortable  sky.  To  retrieve  our  disordered 
affairs,  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  profiting 
by  them,  no  exertion  was  relaxed,  no  vigilance 
remitted  on  the  part  of  our  higher  officers. 


LIFE    OP    GEiNERAL    PUTKAftl.  121 

The  regiments  which  had  been  least  exposed 
to  fatigue  that  day,  furnished  the  necessary 
picquets  to  secure  the  army  from  surprise. 
Those  whose  military  lives  had  been  short 
and  unpractised,  felt  enough  besides  lassitude 
of  body  to  disquiet  the  tranquillity  of  their 
repose.  Nor  had  those  who  were  older  in 
service,  and  of  more  experience,  any  subject 
for  consolation.  The  warmth  of  enthusiasm 
seemed  to  be  extinguished.  The  force  of  dis 
cipline  had  not  sufficiently  occupied  its  place 
to  give  men  a  dependence  upon  each  other. 
We  were  apparently  about  to  reap  the  bitter 
fruits  of  that  jealous  policy,  which  some  lead 
ing  men,  with  the  best  motives,  had  sown  in 
our  federal  councils,  when  they  caused  the 
mode  to  be  adopted,  for  carrying  on  the  war 
by  detachments  of  militia,  from  apprehension 
that  an  established  Continental  army,  after 
defending  the  country  against  foreign  inva 
sion,  night  subvert  its  liberties  themselves. 
Paradoxical  as  it  will  appear,  it  may  be  profit 
able  to  be  known  to  posterity,  that  while  our 
very  existence  as  an  independent  people  was 
in  question,  the  patriotic  jealousy  for  the  safe 
ty  of  our  future  freedom  had  been  carried  to 
such  a  virtuous  but  dangerous  excess  as  well 
nigh  to  preclude  the  attainment  of  our  Inde 
pendence.  Happily  that  limited  and  hazard 
ous  system  soon  gave  room  to  one  more  en 
lightened  and  salutary.  This  may  be  attri 
buted  to  the  reiterated  arguments,  the  open 
11* 


122      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

remonstrances,  and  the  confidential  communi 
cations  of  the  Commander  in  Chief;  who, 
though  not  apt  to  despair  of  the  Republic,  on 
this  occasion  expressed  himself  in  terms  of 
unusual  despondency.  He  declared,  in  his 
letters,  that  he  found,  to  his  utter  astonish 
ment  and  mortification,  that  no  reliance  could 
be  placed  on  a  great  proportion  of  his  pres 
ent  troops,  and  that,  unless  efficient  measures 
for  establishing  a  permanent  force  should  be 
speedily  pursued,  we  had  every  reason  to  fear 
the  final  ruin  of  our  cause. 

Next  morning  several  parties  of  the  enemy 
appeared  upon  the  plains  in  our  front.  On 
receiving  this  intelligence,  General  Washing 
ton  rode  quickly  to  the  out-posts,  for  the 
purpose  of  preparing  against  an  attack,  if  the 
enemy  should  advance  with  that  design. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Knowlton's  rangers,  a 
fine  selection  from  the  eastern  regiments,  who 
had  been  skirmishing  with  an  advanced  party, 
came  in,  and  informed  the  General  that  a 
body  of  British  were  under  cover  of  a  small 
eminence  at  no  considerable  distance.  His 
Excellency,  willing  to  raise  our  men  from 
their  dejection  by  the  splendour  of  some  little 
success,  ordered  Lieutenant-Colonel  Knowl- 
ton,  with  his  rangers,  and  Major  Leitch,  with 
three  companies  of  Weedon's  regiment  of  Vir 
ginians,  to  gain  their  rear ;  while  appearances 
should  be  made  of  an  attack  in  front.  As 
soon  as  the  enemy  saw  the  party  sent  to  de- 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      123 

coy  them,  they  ran  precipitately  down  the 
hill,  took  possession  of  some  fences  and  bushes, 
and  commenced  a  brisk  firing  at  long  shot. 
Unfortunately  Knowiton  and  Leitch  made  their 
onset  rather  in  flank  than  in  rear.  The  enemy 
changed  their  front,  and  the  skirmish  at  once 
became  close  and  warm.  Major  Leitch*  hav 
ing  received  three  balls  through  his  side,  was 
soon  borne  from  the  field  ;  and  Colonel  Knowi 
ton,  who  had  distinguished  himself  so  gallantly 
at  the  battle  of  Bunker-Hill,  was  mortally 
wounded  immediately  after.  Their  men,  how 
ever,  undaunted  by  these  disasters,  stimulated 
with  the  thirst  of  revenge  for  the  loss  of  their 
leaders,  and,  conscious  of  acting  under  the  eye 
of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  maintained  the 
conflict  with  uncommon  spirit  and  persever 
ance.  But  the  General,  seeing  them  in  need 
of  support,  advanced  part  of  the  Maryland 
regiments  of  Griffith  and  Richardson,  together 
with  some  detachments  from  such  eastern 
corps  as  chanced  to  be  most  contiguous  to 
the  place  of  action.  Our  troops  this  day,  with 
out  exception,  behaved  with  the  greatest  in 
trepidity.  So  bravely  did  they  repulse  the 
British,  that  Sir  William  Howe  moved  his 
reserve,  with  two  field  pieces,  a  battalion  of 
Hessian  grenadiers,  and  a  company  of  Chas 
seurs,  to  succour  his  retreating  troops.  Gene 
ral  Washington,  not  willing  to  draw  on  a 

*   Major  Leitch,  after  languishing  some  days,  died  of  a  locked 


124      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

general  action,  declined  pressing  the  pursuit. 
In  this  engagement  were  the  second  and  third 

O     c3 

battalions  of  light  infantry,  the  forty-second 
British  regiment,  and  the  German  Chasseurs, 
of  whom  eight  officers,  and  upwards  of  seventy 
privates  were  wounded,  and  our  people. buried 
nearly  twenty,  who  were  left  dead  on  the  field. 
We  had  about  forty  wounded  :  our  loss  in 
killed,  except  of  two  valuable  officers,  was  very 
inconsiderable. 

An  advantage,*  so  trivial  in  itself,  produced, 
in  event,  a  surprising  and  almost  incredible  ef 
fect  upon  the  whole  army.  Amongst  the  troops 
not  engaged,  who,  during  the  action,  were 
throwing  earth  from  the  new  trenches,  with 
an  alacrity  that  indicated  a  determination  to 
defend  them,  every  visage  was  seen  to  bright- 

*  A  transcript  from  General  Washington's  Public  Onlers  of  the 
seventeenth  will,  better  than  any  other  document  that  could  be 
adduced,  show  his  sentiment  on  the  conduct  of  the  two  ^receding 
days,  and  how  fervently  he  wished  to  foster  the  gOvj-J  dispositions 
discovered  ou  the  last. 

"ORDERS. 

(C  Hea d-  Quarters,  Harlaem  Heights,  September  17,  1776. 
"Parole,  Leitch.     Countersign,  Virginia. 

tf  The  General  most  heartily  thanks  the  troops  commanded  yes 
terday  by  Major  Leitch,  who  first  advanced  upon  the  enemy,  and 
the  others  who  so  resolutely  supported  them.  The  behaviour  yes 
terday  was  such  a  contrast  to  that  of  some  of  the  troops  the  day 
before,  as  must  show  what  may  be  done,  where  officers  and  soldiers 
will  exert  themselves.  Once  more,  therefore,  the  General  calls 
upon  officers  and  men,  to  act  up  to  the  noble  cause  in  which  they 
are  engaged,  and  to  support  the  honour  and  liberties  of  their  coun 
try. 

."  The  gallant  and  brave  Colonel  Knowlton,  who  would  bare  been 
nn  honour  to  any  country,  having  fallen  yesterday,  while  gloriously 
fighting,  Captain  Brown  is  to  take  the  command  of  the  party  late"- 
ly  led  by  Colonel  Kiiowlton.  Officers  and  men  are  lo  obey  him 
accordingly." 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      125 

en,  and  to  assume,  instead  of  the  gloom  of 
despair,  the  glow  of  animation.  This  change, 
no  less  sudden  than  happy,  left  little  room  to 
doubt  that  the  men,  who  ran  the  day  before 
at  the  sight  of  an  enemy,  would  now,  to  wipe 
away  the  stain  of  that  disgrace,  and  to  recover 
the  confidence  of  their  General,  have  conduct 
ed  themselves  in  a  very  different  manner. 
Some  alteration  was  made  in  the  distribution 
of  corps  to  prevent  the  British  from  gaining 
either  flank  in  the  succeeding  night.  General 
Putnam,  who  commanded  on  the  right,  was 
directed  in  orders,  in  case  the  enemy  should 
attempt  to  force  the  pass,  to  apply  for  a  rein 
forcement  to  General  Spencer,  who  command 
ed  on  the  left. 

General  Putnam,  who  was  too  good  an 
husbandman  himself  not  to  have  a  respect 
for  the  labours  and  improvements  of  others, 
strenuously  seconded  the  views  of  the  Com 
mander  in  Chief  in  preventing  the  devastation 
of  farms,  and  the  violation  of  private  property. 
For  under  pretext  that  the  property  in  this 
quarter  belonged  to  friends  to  the  British  gov 
ernment,  as  indeed  it  mostly  did,  a  spirit  of 
rapine  and  licentiousness  began  to  prevail, 
which,  unless  repressed  in  the  beginning,  fore 
boded,  besides  the  subversion  of  discipline,  the 
disgrace  and  defeat  of  our  arms. 

Our  new  defences  now  becoming  so  strong 
as  not  to  admit  insult  with  impunity,  and  Sir 
William  Howe,  riot  choosing  to  place  too  much 


126       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

al  risk  in  attacking  us  in  front,  on  the  12th 
day  of  October,  leaving  Lord  Percy  with  one 
Hessian  and  two  British  brigades,  in  his  lines 
at  Harlaeni,  to  cover  New-York,  embarked 
with  the  main  body  of  his  army,  witti  an  in 
tention  of  landing  at  Frog's  jNeck,  situated 
near  the  town  of  West-Chester,  and  little 
more  than  a  league  above  the  communication 
called  Kiug's'-bridge,  which  connects  New- 
York  Island  with  the  main.  There  was  no 
thing  to  oppose  him ;  and  he  effected  his  de 
barkation  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
The  same  policy  of  keeping  our  army  as  com 
pact  as  possible  ;  the  same  system  of  avoiding 
being  forced  to  action ;  and  the  same  precau 
tion  to  prevent  the  interruption  of  supplies, 
reinforcements  or  retreat,  that  lately  dictated 
the  evacuation  of  New-York,  now  induced 
General  Washington  to  move  towards  the 
strong  grounds  in  the  upper  part  of  West- 
Chester  county. 

About  the  same  time  General  Putnam  was 
sent  to  the  western  side  of  the  Hudson,  to 
provide  against  an  irruption  into  the  Jerseys, 
and  soon  after  to  Philadelphia,  to  put  that 
town  into  a  posture  of  defence.*  Thither  I 

*  From  the  preceding-  paragraph  it  would  *eem  that  General 
Putnam  was  detached,  first  to  New-Jersey,  and  soon  afterwards  to 
Philadelphia,  immediately  after  the  movement  of  the  British  army 
to  Frog's  neck.  The  truth  is,  he  was  with  the  array  at  White* 
Plains,  and  had  part  in  the  action  fought  there  the  '28th  of  October. 
It  was  the  position  of  Brigadier-General  M'Dongal  which  was  at 
tacked,  and  Washington  ordered  a  detachment  of  the  army  under 
Major-Geuerul  PulLaro  to  support  him.  Some  days  utter  this  ac 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      127 

attend  him,  without  stooping  to  dilate  on  the 
subsequent  incidehts,  that  might  swell  a  folio, 
though  here  compressed  to  a  single  para 
graph;  without  attempting  to  give  in  detail 
the  skilful  retrograde  movements  of  our  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  who,  after  detaching  a  garri 
son  for  Fort  Washington,  by  pre-occupying 
with  extemporaneous  redoubts  and  entrench 
ments,  the  ridges  from  Mile-Square  to  White- 
Plains,  and  by  folding  one  brigade  behind 
another,  in  rear  of  those  ridges  that  run  paral 
lel  with  the  Sound,  brought  off  all  his  artillery, 
stores,  and  sick,  in  the  face  of  a  superior  foe; 
without  commenting  on  the  partial  and  equivo 
cal  battle  fought  near  the  last  mentioned  vil 
lage,  or  the  cause  why  the  British,  then  in  full 
force,  (for  the  last  of  the  Hessian  infantry  and 
British  light-horse  had  just  arrived)  did  not 
more  seriously  endeavour  to  induce  a  general 
engagement;  without  journalizing  their  milita 
ry  manoeuvres  in  falling  back  to  King's-bridge, 
capturing  Fort  Washington,  Fort  Lee,  and 
marching  through  the  Jerseys;  without  enu 
merating  the  instances  of  rapine,  murder,  lust, 
and  devastation,  that  marked  their  progress. 


tion,  General  Putnam  was  ordered  to  cross  tlie  Hudson,  and  pro 
vide  against  an  irruption  of  the  enemy  into  New-Jersey.  He  was 
soon  followed  by  Washington  with  part  of  his  army,  which  took 
post  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Lee,  and.  after  the  fall  of  that  Fort, 
General  Putnam  was  constantly  about  his  person  during  the  whole 
retreat  through  New-Jersey,  and  among  the  last  of  the  fugitive  ar 
my  which  crossed  the  Delaware: — th?n  it  was,  that  he  was  ordered 
to  Philadelphia  to  fortify  and  defend  that  city,  which  Congress  had 
ordered  to  be  defended  to  the  last  extremity.  f"JS<fc'lor.  J 


128      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

and  filled  our  bosoms  with  horror  and  indigna 
tion  ;  without  describing  how  a  division  of  our 
dissolving  army,  with  General  Washington, 
was  driven  before  them  beyond  the  Delaware ; 
without  painting  the  naked  and  forlorn  condi 
tion  of  these  much  injured  men,  amidst  the 
rigours  of  an  inclement  season ;  and  without 
even  sketching  the  consternation  that  seized 
the  States  at  this  perilous  period,  when  Gene 
ral  Lee,  in  leading  from  the  north  a  small 
reinforcement  to  our  troops,  was  himself  tak 
en  prisoner  by  surprise;  when  every  thing 
seemed  decidedly  declining  to  the  last  extremi 
ty,  and  when  every  prospect  but  served  to 
augment  the  depression  of  despair — until  the 
genius  of  one  man,  in  one  day,  at  a  single 
stroke,  wrested  from  the  veteran  battalions  of 
Britain  and  Germany  the  fruits  acquired  by 
the  total  operations  of  a  successful  campaign, 
and  re-animated  the  expiring  hope  of  a  whole 
nation,  by  the  glorious  enterprize  at  Trenton. 
While  the  hostile  forces,  rashly  inflated 
with  pride  by  a  series  of  uninterrupted  suc 
cesses,  and  fondly  dreaming  that  a  period 
would  soon  be  put  to  their  labours,  by  the 
completion  of  their  conquests,  had  been  pur 
suing  the  wretched  remnants  of  a  disbanded 
army  to  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  General 
Putnam  was  diligently  employed  in  fortifying 
Philadelphia,  the  capture  of  which  appeared 
indubitably  to  be  their  principal  object.  Here, 
by  authority  and  example,  he  strove  to  concili- 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      129 

ate  contending  factions,  and  to  excite  the  citi 
zens  to  uncommon  efforts  in  defence  of  every 
thing  interesting  to  freemen.  His  personal 
industry  was  unparalleled.  His  orders,*  with 
respect  to  extinguishing  accidental  fires,  ad 
vancing  the  public  works,  as  well  as  in  regard 
to  other  important  objects,  were  perfectly  mili 
tary  and  proper.  But  his  health  was,  for  a 
while,  impaired  by  his  unrelaxed  exertions. 

The  Commander  in  Chief  having,  in  spite  of 
all  obstacles,  made  good  his  retreat  over  the 
Delaware,  wrote  to  General  Putnam  from  his 
Camp  above  the  Falls  of  Trenton,  on  the  very 
day  he  re-crossed  the  river  to  surprise  the 
Hessians,  expressing  his  satisfaction  at  the  re- 
establishment  of  that  General's  health,  and  in 
forming,  that  if  he  had  not  himself  been  well 
convinced  before  of  the  enemy's  intention  to 
possess  themselves  of  Philadelphia,  as  soon  as 
the  frost  should  form  ice  strong  enough  to 

*  As  a  specimen,  the  following  is  preserved  : 
"GEXBRAL  ORDERS. 

"  Head-  Qnartrrs,  Philadelphia,  December  14,  1776. 

"Colonel  Griffin  is  appointed  \r!jutHnt-< Jeneral  to  the  troops  in 
and  about  this  city  *  All  orders  from  the  General,  through  him, 
either  written  or  verbal,  are  to  he  strictly  attended  to  and  punc 
tually  obe\  ed. 

"  la  case  of  an  alnrm  of  fire,  the  city  guards  and  patrols  rtrc  to 
suffer  the  inhabitants  to  pass,  unmolested,  at  any  hour  of  the  night; 
•d'ld  the  £0o,j  people  of  Philadelphia  are  earnestly  requested  and 
desired  to  give  every  assistance  in  their  power,  with  engines  and 
buckets,  to  extinguish  the  fire.  And  as  the  Congress  have  ordered 
the  city  to  be  defended  to  the  lait  extremity,  the  General  hopes 
that  uo  person  will  refuse  to  give  everv  assistance  possible  to  com 
plete  the  fortifications  that  are  to  be  erected  in  and  about  the  city. 

"  ISRAEL  PUTNAM." 

12 


130      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

transport  them  and  their  artillery  across  the 
Delaware,  he  had  now  obtained  an  intercepted 
letter  which  placed  the  matter  beyond  a  doubt. 
He  added,  that  if  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
had  any  regard  for  the  -town,  not  a  moment's 
time  was  to  be  lost  until  it  should  be  put  in 
the  best  possible  posture  of  defence;  but  least 
that  should  not  be  done,  he  directed  the  re 
moval  of  all  public  stores,  except  provisions 
necessary  for  immediate  use,  to  places  of 
greater  security.  He  queried  whether,  if  a 
party  of  rniliiia  could  be  sent  from  Philadel 
phia  to  support  those  in  the  Jerseys,  about 
Mount  Holly,  it  would  not  serve  to  save  them 
from  submission  ?  At  the  same  time  he  si^nifi- 

O 

ed,  as  his  opinion,  the  expediency  of  sending 
an  active  and  influential  officer  to  inspirit  the 
people,  to  encourage  them  to  assemble  in 
arms,  as  well  as  to  keep  those  already  in  arms 
from  disbanding ;  and  concluded  by  manifest 
ing  a  wish  that  Colonel  Forman,  whom  he 
desired  to  see  for  this  purpose,  might  be  em 
ployed  on  the  service 

The  enemy  had  vainly,  as  incautiously,  im 
agined  that  to  overrun  was  to  conquer.  They 
had  even  carried  their  presumption  on  our  ex 
treme  weakness,  and  expected  submission  so 
far  as  to  attempt  covering  the  country  through 
which  they  had  marched  with  an  extensive 
chain  of  cantonments.  That  link,  which  the 
post  at  Trenton  supplied,  consisted  of  a  Hes 
sian  brigade  of  infantry,  a  company  of  Chas- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      131 

seurs,  a  squadron  of  light  dragoons,  and  six 
field  pie-os.  At  «Mght  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  t:u)  t»V(Mity-sixtii  of  December,  G  neral 
Washington,  with  twenty-four  hundred  men, 
ca;ne  upon  them,  after  they  had  paraded,  took 
one  thousand  prisoners,  and  re-  passed  the  same 
day,  without  loss,  to  his  encampment.  As 
soon  as  the  troops  were  recovered  from  their 
excessive  fatigue,  General  Washington  re- 
crosse.1  a  second  ti:ne  to  Trenton.  On  the 
second  of  January,  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  the 
bulk  of  ihe  British  army,  advanced  upon  him, 
cannonaded  his  post,  and  offered  him  battle  : 
but  the  two  armii-s  being  separated  by  the  in 
terposition  01  Trenton  Creek,  General  Wash 
ington  had  it  in  his  option  to  decline  an  en 
gagement,  which  he  did  for  the  sake  of  strik 
ing  tne  masterly  stroke  that  he  then  meditated. 
Having  kindled  frequent  fires  around  his  camp, 
posted  faithful  men  to  keep  them  burning,  and 
advanced  sentinels,  whose  fidelity  might  bo 
relied  upon,  he  decamped  silently  after  dark, 
and,  by  a  circuitous  route,  reached  Princeton 
at  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning.  The  noise 
of  the  firing,  by  which  he  killed  and  captured 
between  five  and  six  hundred  of  the  British 
brigade  in  that  town,  was  the  first  notice  Lord 
Cornwallis  had  of  this  stolen  march.  Gene 
ral  Washington,  the  project  successfully  ac 
complished,  instantly  filed  off  for  the  moun 
tainous  grounds  of  Morris-  Town.  Meanwhile, 
his  Lordship,  who  arrived,  by  a  forced  march,. 


332      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

at  Princeton,  just  as  he  had  left  it,  finding  the 
Americans  could  not  be  overtaken,  proceeded, 
without  halting,  to  Brunswick. 

On  the  fifth  of  January,  1777,  from  Pluck- 
emin,  General  Washington  despatched  an  ac 
count  of  this  second  success  to  Genera!  Put 
nam,  and  ordered  him  to  move  immediately, 
with  all  his  troops,  to  Croswick's,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  co-operating  in  recovering  the  Jersey  $; 
an  event  which  the  present  fortunate  juncture, 
while  the  enemy  were  yet  panic-struck,  ap 
peared  to  promise.  The  General  cautioned 
him,  however,  if  the  enemy  should  still  con 
tinue  at  Brunswick,  to  guard  with  great  cir 
cumspection  against  a  surprise  ;  especially  as 
they,  having  recently  suffered  by  two  attacks, 
could  scarcely  avoid  being  edged  with  resent 
ment  to  attempt  retaliation.  His  Excellency 
farther  advised  him  to  give  out  his  strength  to 
be  twice  as  great  as  it  was ;  to  forward  on  all 
the  baggage  and  scattering  men  belonging  to 
the  division  destined  for  Morris-Town ;  to  em 
ploy  as  many  spies  as  he  should  think  proper; 
to  keep  a  number  of  horsemen,  in  the  dress  of 
the  country,  going  constantly  backwards  and 
forwards  on  the  same  secret  service;  and, 
lastly,  if  he  should  discover  any  intention  or 
motion  of  the  enemy  that  could  be  depended 
upon,  and  might  be  of  consequence,  not  to 
fail  in  conveying  the  intelligence,  as  rapidly 
as  possible  by  express,  to  Head-Qua*  tcrs. 
Major-General  Putnaiii  was  directed  soon  af- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      133 

ter  to  take  post  at  Princeton,  were  he  contin 
ued  until  the  spring.  He  had  never  with  him 
more  than  a  few  hundred  troops,  though  he 
was  only  at  fifteen  miles  distant  from  the  ene 
my's  strong  garrison  of  Brunswick.  At  one 
period,  from  a  sudden  diminution,  occasioned 
by  the  tardiness  of  the  militia  turning  out  to 
replace  those  whose  time  of  service  was  ex 
pired,  he  had  fewer  men  for  duty  than  he  had 
miles  of  frontier  to  guard.  Nor  was  the  Com 
mander  in  Chief  in  a  more  eligible  situation. 
It  is  true,  that  while  he  had  scarcely  the  sem 
blance  of  an  army,  under  the  specious  parade 
of  a  park  of  artillery,  and  the  imposing  ap 
pearance  of  his  Head-Quarters,  established  at 
Munis-Town,  he  kept  up,  in  the  eyes  of  his 
countrymen,  as  well  as  in  the  opinion  of  his 
enemy,  the  appearance  of  no  contemptible 
force.  Future  generations  will  find  difficulty 
in  conceiving  how  a  handful  of  new-levied  men 

Q 

and  militia,  who  were  necessitated  to  be  in 
oculated  for  the  small-pox  in  the  course  of  the 
winter,  could  be  subdivided  and  posted  so  ad 
vantageously,  as  effectually  to  protect  the  in 
habitants,  confine  the  enemy,  curtail  their 
forage,  and  beat  up  their  quarters,  without 
sustaining  a  single  disaster. 

In  tiie  battle  of  Princeton,  Captain  iVTPher- 
son,  of  the  17th  British  regiment,  a  very  wor 
thy  Scotchman,  was  desperately  wounded  in 
the  lungs,  and  reft  with  the  dead.  Upon  Gen 
eral  Putnam's  arrival  there,  he  found  iiim  ian?- 
12* 


134      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

guishing  in  extreme  distress,  without  a  sur 
geon,  without  a  single  accommodation,  and 
without  a  friend  to  solace  the  sinking  spirit  in 
the  gloomy  hour  of  death.  He  visited,  and 
immediately  caused  every  possible  comfort  to 
be  administered  to  him.  Captain  M'Pherson, 
who,  contrary  to  all  appearances,  recovered, 
after  having  demonstrated  to  General  Putnam 
the  dignified  sense  of  obligations  which  a  gen 
erous  mind  wishes  not  to  conceal,  one  day.  in 
familiar  conversation,  demanded,  "  Pray,  Sir, 
what  countryman  are  you?" — "  An  American," 
answered  the  latter. — "  Not  a  Yankee  ?"  said 
the  other. — "  A  full  blooded  one,"  replied  the 
General.  "  By  G — d,  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  re 
joined  M'Pherson,  "  1  did  not  think  there  could 
be  so  much  goodness  and  generosity  in  an 
American,  or,  indeed,  in  any  body  but  a 
Scotchman." 

While  the  recovery  of  Ca/itain  M'Pherson 
was  doubtful,  he  desired  that  General  Putnam 
would  permit  a  friend  in  the  British  army  at 
Brunswick  to  come  and  assist  him  in  making 
HIS  WILL.  General  Putnam,  who  had  then 
only  fifty  men  in  his  whole  command,  was 
sadly  embarrassed  by  the  proposition.  On 
the  one  hand,  he  was  not  content  that  a  Brit 
ish  officer  should  have  an  opportunity  to  spy 
out  the  weakness  of  his  post;  on  the  other,  it 
was  scarcely  in  his  nature  to  refuse  complying 
with  a  dictate  of  humanity.  He  luckily  be 
thought  himself  of  an  expedient  which  he  has- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      135 

tened  to  put  in  practice.  A  flag  of  truce  was 
despatched  with  Captain  M'Pherson's  request, 
but  under  an  injunction  not  to  return  with  his 
friend  until  after  dark.  In  the  evening  lights 
were  placed  in  all  the  rooms  of  the  College, 
and  in  every  apartment  of  the  vacant  houses 
throughout  the  town.  During  the  whole 
night,  the  fifty  men,  sometimes  altogether, 
and  sometimes  in  small  detachments,  were 
inarched  from  different  quarters  by  the  house 
in  which  MTherson  lay.  Afterwards  it  was 
known  that  the  officer  who  came  on  the  visit, 
at  his  return,  reported  that  General  Putnam's 
army,  upon  the  most  moderate  calculation, 
could  not  consist  of  less  than  four  or  five 
thousand  men. 

This  winter's  campaign,  for  our  troops  con 
stantly  kept  the  field  after  regaining  a  footing 
in  the  Jerseys,  has  never  yet  been  faithfully 
and  feelingly  described.  The  sudden  resto 
ration  of  our  cause  from  the  very  verge  of  ruin 
was  interwoven  with  such  a  tissue  of  inscru 
table  causes  and  extraordinary  events,  that, 
fearful  of  doing  the  subject  greater  injustice, 
by  a  passing  disquisition  than  a  purposed  si 
lence,  I  leave  it  to  the  leisure  of  abler  pens. 
The  ill  policy  of  the  British  doubtless  contrib 
uted  to  accelerate  this  event.  For  the  man 
ner,  impolitic  as  inhuman,  in  which  they  man 
aged  their  temporary  conquests,  tended  evi 
dently  to  alienate  the  affections  of  their  ad 
herents,  to  confirm  the  wavering  in  aa  opposite 


136      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

interest,  to  rouse  the  supine  into  activity,  to 
assemble  the  dispersed  to  the  standard  of 
America,  and  to  infuse  a  spirit  of  revolt  into 
the  minds  of  those  men  who  had,  from  neces 
sity,  submitted  to  their  power.  Their  conduct 
in  warring  with  fire  and  sword  against  the 
imbecility  of  youth,  and  the  decrepitude  of 
age ;  against  the  arts,  the  sciences,  the  curious 
inventions,  and  the  elegant  improvements  in 
civilized  life ;  against  the  melancholy  widow, 
the  miserable  orphan,  the  peaceable  professor 
of  humane  literature,  and  the  sacred  minister 
of  the  gospel,  seemed  to  operate  as  powerful 
ly,  as  if  purposely  intended  to  kindle  the  dor 
mant  spark  of  resistance  into  an  inextinguish 
able  flame.  If  we  add  to  the  black  catalogue 
of  provocations  already  enumerated  their  in 
satiable  rapacity  in  plundering  friends  and  foes 
indiscriminately  ;  their  libidinous  brutality  in 
violating  the  chaslity  of  the  female  sex  ;  their 
more  than  Gothic  rage  in  defacing  private 
writings,  public  records,  libraries*  of  learning, 
dwellings  of  individuals,  edifices  for  education, 
and  temples  of  the  Deity;  together  with  their 
insufferable  ferocity,  unprecedented  indeed 
among  civilized  nations,  in  murdering  on  the 
field  oi  battle  the  wounded  while  begging  for 
mercy »  in  causing  their  prisoners  to  famish 
with  hunger  and  cold  in  prisons  and  prison 
ships,  and  in  can  >  ing  their  rnaiice  beyond 
death  itself,  by  denying  the  decent  rites  of 
sepulture  to  the  dead  ;  we  shall  not  be  aston- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 


137 


ished  that  the  yeomanry  in  the  two  Jerseys, 
when  the  first  glimmering  of  hope  began  to 
break  in  upon  them,  rose  as  one  man,  with  the 
unalterable  resolution  to  perish  in  the  generous 
cause,  or  expel  their  merciless  invaders. 

The  principal  officers,  stationed  at  a  variety 
of  welt-chosen,  and  at  some  almost  inaccessi 
ble  positions,  seemed  all  to  be  actuated  by  the 
same  soul,  and  only  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
giving  proofs  of  vigilance,  enterprise  and  val 
our.  From  what  has  been  said  respecting  the 
scantiness  of  our  aggregate  force,  it  will  be 
concluded,  that  the  number  of  men,  under  the 
orders  of  each,  was  indeed  very  small.  But 
the  uncommon  alertness  of  the  troops,  who 
were  incessantly  hovering  round  the  enemy  in 
scouts,  and  the  constant  communication  they 
kept  between  the  several  stations  most  con 
tiguous  to  each  other,  agreeably  to  the  in 
structions*  of  the  General  in  Chief,  together 

*  The  annexed  private  orders  to  Lord  Stirling  will  show,  in  a 
laconic  and  military  manner,  the  system  of  service  then  pursued  : 

«*  To  Brigadier-Getter*!  Lord  STIRLING. 

"  MY  LOUD, 

"  You  are  to  repair  to  Tiasketiridge,  and  take  upon  you  the  com- 
Uiuud  of  the  troops  now  there,  and  such  as  may  be  sent  to  your 
care. 

"You  are  to  endeavour,  as  much  as  possible,  to  harass  aiid  an 
noy  the  enemy,  by  keeping  scouting  parties  constantly,  or  as  fre 
quently  as  possible,  around  their  quarters. 

«'  As  you  will  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Generals  Dkkenson 
a;  d  Warner,  I  recommend  it  to  you  to  k»  ep  up  :i  correspondence 
with  them,  *nd  ei.deavmir  to  regulate  your  parties  by  theirs,  so  as 
to  have  some  constantly  out. 

"  Use  every  m^-a-s  in  your  p*i\vrr  to  obtain  intelligence  from  the 

eioy  ;  which  may  possibly   be  better  effected  by  engaging  some 


138      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

with  their  readiness  in  giving,  and  confidence 
of  receiving  such  reciprocal  aid  as  the  exigen 
cies  might  require,  served  to  supply  the  delect 
of  force. 

This  mariner  of  doing  duty  not  only  put  our 
own  posts  beyond  t:ie  reach  of  sudden  insult 
an  J  surprise,  but  so  exceedingly  harassed  and 
intimidated  the  enemy,  that  foragers  were  sel 
dom  sent  out  by  them,  and  never  except  in 
very  large  parties.  General  Diekenson,  who 
commanded  on  General  Putnam's  left,  discov 
ered,  about  the  20th  of  January,  a  foraging 
party,  consisting  of  about  four  hundred  men, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Jtfill*sfone,  two 
miles  from  Somerset  court-house.  As  the 
bridge  was  possessed  and  defended  by  three 
field-pieces,  so  that  it  could  not  be  passed, 
General  Diekenson,  at  the  head  of  four  hun 
dred  militia,  broke  the  ice,  crossed  the  river 
where  the  water  was  about  three  feet  deep, 
resolutely  attacked,  and  totally  defeated  the 
foragers.  Upon  their  abandoning  the  convoy, 

f  '  r  i  I 

a  lew  prisoners,  forty  waggons,  and  more  than 
a  hundred  draft  horses,  with  a  considerable 
booty  of  cattle  and  sheep,  fell  into  his  hands. 


of  those  people  who  have  obtained  J-'rotections  to  go  in,  under  pre 
tence  of  Asking  -tdvice,  than  l>y  any  other  menus. 

"  You  will  also  use  every  means  in  your  power  to  ohtain  and 
communicate  the  earliest  accounts  of  the  enemy's  movements; 
and  to  assemble,  in  the  speediest  manner  possible,  \our  troops 
either  tor  ofiVnee  or  defence 

"  Giren  at  Head-  Quarters,  the  fourth  day  of  February,  1777. 

"  GEO.  WASHINGTON." 


LIFE    OF    GENERAL    PUTNAM.  139 

Nor  were  our  operations  on  General  Put 
nam's  right  ilank  less  fortunate.  To  give 
countenance  to  the  numerous  friends  of  the 
British  government  in  the  county  of  Mon- 
mouth  appears  to  have  been  a  principal  motive 
with  Sir  William  Howe  for  stretching  the 
chain  of  his  cantonments,  by  his  own  confes 
sion,*  previously  to  his  disaster,  rather  too 
far.  After  that  chain  became  broken,  as  I 
have  already  related,  by  the  blows  at  Trenton 
and  Princeton,  he  was  obliged  to  collect,  dur 
ing  the  rest  of  the  winter,  the  useless  remains 
in  his  barracks  at  Brunswick,  In  the  mean 
time,  General  Putnam  was  much  more  suc 
cessful  in  his  attempts  to  protect  our  dispersed 
and  dispirited  friends  in  the  same  district ; 
who,  environed  on  every  side  by  envenomed 
adversaries,  remained  inseparably  rivetted  in 
alfection  to  American  independence.  He  first 
detached  Colonel  Gurney,  and  afterwards  Ma- 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  from  General  Sir  WILLIAM  HOWE  to 
Lord  <i  E  o  R  G  E  G E  u  M  A i  x  E,  (luted  Neio-Yorkt  December  20, 
1776. 

Having  mentioned  the  fruitless  attempt  of  Lord  Cornwallis  to 
find  boais  at  CorryePs  fury  to  pass  the  Delaware — he  proceeds 
thus: 

"The  passage  of  the  Delaware  being  thus  rendered  impractica 
ble,  his  Lordship  took  post  at  Pennington,  in  which  place  and 
Trenton  the  two  divisions  remained  until  the  fourteenth,  when  the 
weather  having  become  too  severe  to  keep  the  field,  and  the-  \vin- 
tei  cantonments  being  arranged,  the  troops  marched  from  both 
places  to  their  respective  stations.  The  clt  a'rt,  I  own,  is  rather  too 
extensive,  but  I  was  induced  to  occupy  Burlii  gton  to  co<vr  the 
county  <>f  Monmoulh,  in  which  there  are  many  loyal  inh.-ibit'tnts  ; 
and  trusting  to  ihe  almost  general  submission  of  the  countrv  to  the 
southward  of  this  chain,  and  to  the  strength  of  the  co.-ps  placed  in 
the  advanced  posis,  I  conclude  the  troops  will  be  in  perfect  secu 


140      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

jor  Davis,*  with  such  parties  of  militia  as 
could  be  spared,  for  their  support.  Several 
skirmishes  ensued,  in  which  our  people  had  al 
ways  the  advantage.  They  took,  at  different 
times,  many  prisoners,  horses  and  waggons 
from  foraging  parties.  In  effect,  so  well  did 
they  cover  the  country,  as  to  induce  some  of 
the  most  respectahle  inhabitants  to  declare, 
that  the  security  of  the  persons,  as  well  as  the 
salvation  of  the  property  of  rniny  friends  to 
freedom  was  o\ving  to  the  spirited  exertions  of 
these  two  detachments ;  who,  at  the  same 
time  that  they  rescued  the  country  from  the 
tyranny  of  tories,  afforded  an  opportunity  for 
the  militia  to  recover  from  thrir  consternation, 
to  embody  themselves  in  warlike  array,  and  to 
stand  on  their  defence. 

During  this  period,  General  Putnam  having 
received  unquestionable  intelligence  that  a 
party  of  refugees,  in  British  pay,  had  taken 
post,  and  were  erecting  a  kind  of  redoubt  at 
Lawrence's  Neck,  sent  Colonel  Nelson,  with 

*  As  there  happened  to  be  in  my  possession  a  copy  of  one  of  his 
letters  to  those  officers  it  was  thought  worthy  of  insertion  here,  in 
order  to  demonstrate  his  satisfaction  v.  5th  their  conduct. 

"To  Major  JOHN  DAVIS,  of  the  third  Battalion  of  Cumberland 

*'  County  Militia. 
"  SIR, 

"  I  am  much  obliged  'o  you  for  your  activity,  vigour,  and  dili 
gence  since  you  h:ive  been  under  my  command  ;  you  will,  therefore, 
march  your  men  to  Philadelphia,  jiml  there  discharge  them  ;  re 
turning  into  the  store  »!l  the  ammunition,  arms  and  accoutrements 
you  received  at  that  place. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  vour  humble  servant, 

»  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 
"  Princeton,  February  5,  1777." 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.       141 

one  hundred  and  fifty  militia,  to  surprise  them. 
That  officer  conducted  with  so  much  secrecy 
and  decision  as  to  take  the  whole  prisoners. 
These  refugees*  were  commanded  by  Major 
Stockton,  belonging  to  Skinner's  brigade,  and 
amounted  to  sixty  in  m  ^ber. 

A  short  time  after  this  event  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  sent  out  another  foraging  party  towards 
Bound-Brook.  General  Putnam,  having  re 
ceived  notice  from  his  emissaries,  detached 
Major  Smith,  with  a  few  riflemen,  to  annoy 
the  party,  and  followed  himself  with  the  rest 
of  his  force.  Before  he  could  come  up,  Major 
Smith,  who  had  formed  an  am  hush,  attacked 
the  enemy,  killed  several  horses,  took  a  few 
prisoners  and  sixteen  bnggage-waggons,  with 
out  sustaining  any  injury.  By  such  opera 
tions,  our  hero,  in  the  course  of  the  winter, 
captured  nearly  a  thousand  prisoners. 

In  the  latter  part  of  February  General 
Washington  advised  General  Putnam,  that,  in 
consequence  of  a  large  accession  of  strength 
from  New-York  to  the  British  army  at  Bruns 
wick,  it  was  to  be  apprehended  they  would 
soon  make  a  forward  movement  towards  the 

f'^.c  tract  of  a  letter  from  General  PUTNAM  to  the  Council  of' 
Sufcty  of  Pennsylvania,  dated  at  Princeton,  February  18, 
1777. 

"  Yesterday  evening  Colonel  Nelson,  with  a  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  at  Lawrence's  Neck,  attacked  sixty  men  of  Corllandt  Skin 
ner's  Hri{j:»de.  commanded  L»\  the  emtn)'s  RENOWNED  LAXD 
PILOI  Major  Richard  Stockton,  touted  them,  aid  took  the 
whole  nnsoners — among  them  the  Maj>r,  a  rapt-iin  and  three  sub 
alterns,  with  seventy  stand  of  arms.  Fifty  of  the  Bedford  Penn 
sylvania,  Riflemen  behaved  like  veterans. 

13 


142     LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

Delaware  :  in  which  case  the  latter  was  direct 
ed  to  cross  the  river  with  his.  actual  force,  to 
assume  the  command  of  the  militia  who  might 
assemble,  to  secure  the  boats  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Delaware,  and  to  facilitate  the  passage 
of  the  rest  of  the  army.  But  the  enemy  Jid 
not  remove  from  their  winter-quarters  until 
the  season  arrived  when  green  forage  could 
be  supplied.  In  the  intermediate  period,  the 
correspondence  on  the  part  of  General  Putnam 
with  the  Commander  in  Chief  consisted  prin 
cipally  of  reports  and  enquiries  concerning  the 
treatment  of  some  oi  the  following  descriptions 
of  persons :  either  of  those  who  came  within 
our  lines  with  flags  and  pretended  flags,  or 
who  had  taken  protection  from  the  enemy,  or 
who  had  been  reputed  disaffected  to  our  cause, 
or  who  were  designed  to  be  comprehended  in 
the  American  Proclamation,  which  required 
that  those  who  had  taken  protections  should 
give  them  to  the  nearest  American  officer,  or 
go  within  the  British  lines.  The  letters  of  his 
Excellency  in  return,  generally  advisory,  were 
indicative  of  confidence  and  approbation. 

When  the  spring  had  now  so  far  advanced 
that  it  was  obvious  the  enemy  would  soon 
take  the  field,  the  Commander  in  Chief,  after 
desiring  General  Putnam  to  give  the  officer 
who  was  to  relieve  him  at  Princeton,  all  the 
information  necessary  for  the  conduct  of  that 
post,  appointed  that  General  to  the  command 
of  a  separate  army  in  the  Highlands  of  New- 
York. 


LIFE    OF    GfiNEIUL    PUTNAM.  143 

It  is  scarcely  decided,  from  any  documents 
yet  published,  whether  the  preposterous  plans 
prosecuted  by  the  British  Generals  in  the  cam 
paign  of  J777,  were  altogether  the   result   of 
their  orders  from  home,  or  whether  they  part 
ly  originated  from  the  contiugences  of  the  mo 
ment.     The  system  which,  at  the  time,  tended 
to  puzzle  all  human  conjecture,  when  devel 
oped,  served  also  to  contradict  all  reasonable 
calculation.     Certain  it  is,  the  American  Com 
mander  in  Chief  was,  for  a  considerable  time, 
so  perplexed  with  contradictory  appearances, 
that  he  knew  not  how  to  distribute  his  troops, 
with  his  usual  discernment,  so  as  to  oppose 
the  enemy  with  eaual  prospect  of  success  in 
different  parts.     The  gathering  tempests  me 
naced  tlie  northern  frontiers,  tne  posts  in  the 
Highlands,  and  the  city  of  Philadelphia;    but 
it  was  still  doubtful  where  the  fury  of  the  storm 
would  fall.     At  one  time  Sir  William  Howe 
\vas  forcing  his  way  by  land  to  Philadelphia ; 
at    another,  relinquishing    the  Jerseys;    at  a 
third,  facing  round  to  make  a  sudden  inroad  ; 
then  embarking  with  all  the  forces  that  could 
be  spared  from  New- York ;    and  then  putting 
out  to  sea,  at  the  very  moment  when  General 
Burgoyne  had  reduced  Ticonderoga,and  seem 
ed  to  require  a  co-operatiori  in  another  quar 
ter. 

On  our  side,  we  have  seen  that  the  old  Con 
tinental  army  expired  with  the  year  1776; 
since  which,  invention  had  been  tortured  with 


144      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

expedients,  and  zeal  with  efforts  to  levy  an 
other:  for  on  the  success  of  the  recruiting 
service  depended  the  salvation  of  the  country. 
The  success  was  such  as  not  to  puff  us  up  to 
presumption,  or  depress  us  to  despair.  The 
army  in  the  Jerseys,  under  the  orders  of  the 
General  in  Chief,  consisted  of  all  the  troops 
raised  south  of  the  Hudson ;  that  in  the  north 
ern  department,  of  the  New-Hampshire  brig 
ade,  two  brigades  of  Massachusetts,  and  the 
brigade  of  New-York,  together  with  some  ir 
regular  corps ;  and  that  in  the  Highlands,  of 
the  remaining  two  brigades  of  Massachusetts, 
the  Connecticut  line,  consisting  of  two  brigades, 
the  brigade  of  Rhode-Island,  and  one  regiment 
of  New-York.  Upon  hearing  of  the  loss  of 
Ticonderoga,  and  the  progress  of  the  British 
towards  Albany,  General  Washington  ordered 
the  northern  army  to  be  reinforced  with  the 
two  brigades  of  Massachusetts,  then  in  the 
Highlands ;  and,  upon  finding  the  army  under 
his  immediate  command  out-numbered  by  that 
of  Sir  William  Howe,  which  had,  by  the  cir 
cuitous  route  of  the  Chesapeak,  invaded  Penn 
sylvania,  he  also  called  from  the  Highlands 
one  of  the  Connecticut  brigades,  and  that  of 
Rhode-Island  to  his  own  assistance. 
|  In  the  neighbourhood  of  General  Putnam ;J& 
there  was  no  enemy  capable  of  exciting  alarms.  ^3 
The  army  left  at  New-York  seemed  only  de 
signed  for  its  defence.  In  it  were  several  en 
tire  corps,  composed  of  tories,  who  had  Hock- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      145 

ed  to  the  British  standard.  There  was,  besides, 
a  band  of  lurking  miscreants,  not  properly  en 
rolled,  who  staid  chiefly  at  West-Chester; 
from  whence  they  infested  the  country  be 
tween  the  two  armies,  pillaged  the  cattle,  and 
carried  off  the  peaceable  inhabitants.  It  was 
an  unworthy  policy  in  British  generals  to 
patronize  banditti.  The  whig*  inhabitants  on 
the  edge  of  our  lines,  and  still  lower  down, 
who  had  been  plundered  in  a  merciless  man 
ner,  delayed  not  to  strip  the  tories  in  return. 
People  most  nearly  connected  and  allied  fre 
quently  became  most  exasperated  and  invete 
rate  in  malice.  Then  the  tics  of  fellowship 
were  broken — then  friendship  itself  being 
soured  to  enmity,  the  mind  readily  gave  way 
to  private  revenge,  uncontrolled  retaliation, 
and  all  the  deforming  passions  that  disgrace 
humanity.  Enormities,  almost  without  a  name, 
were  perpetrated,  at  the  description  of  which, 
the  bosom,  not  frozen  to  apathy,  must  glow 
with  a  mixture  of  pity  and  indignation.  To 
prevent  the  predatory  incursions  from  below, 
and  to  cover  the  county  of  West-Chester,  Gen 
eral  Putnam  detached  from  his  Head-Quarters, 
at  PeekVKill,  Meigs's  regiment,  which,  in  the 
course  of  the  campaign,  struck  several  parti- 
zan  strokes,  and  achieved  the  objects  for  which 
it  was  sent.  He  likewise  took  measures,  with 
out  noise  or  ostentation,  to  secure  himself  from 
being  surprised  and  carried  within  the  British 
lines  by  the  tories,  who  had  formed  a  plan  fox 
13* 


146      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

the  purpose.  The  information  of  this  intend 
ed  enterprise,  conveyed  to  him  through  several 
channels,  was  corroborated  by  that  obtained 
and  transmitted  by  the  Commander  in  Chief. 

It  was  not  wonderful  that  many  of  these  to- 
ries  were  able,  undiscovered,  to  penetrate  far 
into  the  country,  and  even  to  go  with  letters 
or  messages  from  one  British  army  to  another. 
The  inhabitants  who  were  well  affected  to  the 
royal  cause,  afforded  them  every  possible  sup 
port,  and  their  own  knowledge  of  the  different 
routes  gave  them  a  farther  facility  in  perform 
ing  their  perigririations.  Sometimes  the  most 
active  loyalists,  as  the  lories  wished  to  denom 
inate  themselves,  who  had  gone  into  the  Brit 
ish  posts,  and  received  promises  of  commissions 
upon  enlisting  a  certain  number  of  soldiers, 
came  back  again  secretly  with  recruiting  in 
structions.  Sometimes  these,  and  others  who 
came  from  the  enemy  within  the  verge  of  our 
camps,  were  detected  and  condemned  to  death, 
in  conformity  to  the  usages  of  war.  But  the 
British  generals,  who  had  an  unlimited  supply 
of  money  at  their  command,  were  able  to  pay 
with  so  much  liberality,  that  emissaries  could 
always  be  found.  Still,  it  is  thought  that  the 
intelligence  of  the  American  commanders  was, 
at  least,  equally  accurate  ;  notwithstanding  the 
poverty  of  their  military  chest,  and  the  inabil- 
ty  of  rewarding  mercenary  agents,  for  secret 
services,  in  proportion  to  their  risk  and  merit. 

A  person,  by  the  name  of  Palmer,  who  was 
a  lieutenant  in  the  tory  new  levies,  was  de- 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.     147 

tected  in  the  camp  at  Peek's  Kill.  Governor 
Tryori,  who  cojnmanded  the  new  levies,  re 
claimed  him  as  a  British  officer,  represent*  d 
the  heinous  crime  of  condemning  a  man  com 
missioned  by  his  Majesty,  and  threatened  ven 
geance  in  case  he  should  be  executed.  Gene 
ral  Putnam  wrote  the  following  pithy  reply. 

"  SIR, 

"  Nathan  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in  your  King's 
service,  was  taken  in  my  camp  as  a  Spy — he 
was  tried  as  a  Spy — he  was  condemned  as  a 
Spy — and  you  may  rest  assured,  Sir,  he  shall 
be  hanged  as  a  Spy" 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

"  ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 
"His  Excellency  Governor  TRY  ox. 

«  P.  S.  Afternoon.     He  is  hanged." 

Important  transactions  soon  occurred.  Not 
long  after  the  two  brigades  had  marched  from 
Peek's-Kill  to  Pennsylvania,  a  reinforcement 
arrived  at  New- York  from  Europe.  Appear 
ances  indicated  that  offensive  operations  would 
follow.  General  Putnam  having  been  reduc 
ed  in  force  to  a  single  brigade  in  the  field,  and 

O  o 

a  si&gle  regiment  in  garrison  at  Fort  Mont 
gomery,  repeatedly  informed  the  Commander 
in  Chief,  that  the  posts  committed  to  his  charge 
must,  in  all  probability,  be  lost,  in  case  an  at 
tempt  should  be  made  upon  them ;  and  lhat, 
circumstanced  as  he  was,  he  could  not  be  res- 


148      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

ponsible  for  the  consequences.  His  situation 
was  certainly  to  be  lamented  ;  but  it  was  not 
in  the  power  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  to 
alter  it,  except  by  authorising  him  to  call  upon 
the  militia  for  aid — an  aid  always  precarious, 
and  often  so  tardy,  as,  when  obtained,. to  be  of 
no  utility. 

On  the  fifth  of  October  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
came  up  the  North-River  with  three  thousand 
men.  After  making  many  feints  to  mislead 
the  attention,  he  landed,  the  next  morning,  at 
Stony-Point,  and  commenced  his  march  over 
the  mountains  to  Fort  Montgomery.  Gover 
nor  Clinton,  an  active,  resolute,  and  intelligent 
officer,  who  commanded  the  garrison,  upon 
being  apprised  of  the  movement,  despatched  a 
letter,  by  express,  to  General  Putnam  for  suc 
cour.  By  the  treachery  of  the  messenger, 
the  letter  miscarried.  General  Putnam,  as 
tonished  at  hearing  nothing  respecting  the 
enemy,  rode,  with  General  Parsons,  and  Col 
onel  Root,  his  Adjutant-General,  to  reconnoi 
tre  them  at  King's  Ferry.  In  the  mean-time, 
at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Sir  Henry 
Clinton's  columns,  having  surmounted  the  ob 
stacles  and  barriers  of  nature,  descended  from 
the  Thunder-Hill,  through  thickets  impassible 
but  for  light  troops,  and  ^attacked  the  diifer- 

*  The  author  of  these  Memoirs,  then  Major  of  Brigade  to  the 
first  Connecticut  brigade,  was  alone  at  f lead-Quarters  when  the 
firing  began.  Me  hastened  to  Colonel  Wyllys:  the  senior  officer 
in  camp,  and  advised  him  to  despatch  nil  (he  men  not  on  duty  to 
Fort  Montgomery,  without  waiting  for  orders  About  five  hun-- 


LIFE    OP    GENERAL    PUTNAM.  149 

ent  redoubts.  The  garrison,  inspired  by  the 
conduct  of  their  leaders,  defended  the  works 
with  distinguished  valour.  But,  as  the  post  had 
been  designed  principally  to  prevent  the  pass 
ing  of  ships,  and  as  an  assault  in  rear  had  not 
been  expected,  the  works  on  the  land  side 
were  incomplete  and  untenable.  In  the  dusk 
of  twilight,  the  British  entered  with  their  bayo 
nets  fixed.  Their  loss  was  inconsiderable. 
Nor  was  that  of  the  garrison  great.  Gover 
nor  Clinton,  his  brother  General  James  Clin 
ton,  Colonel  Dubois,  and  most  of  the  officers 
and  men  effected  their  escape  under  cover  of 
the  thick  smoke  and  darkness  that  suddenly 
prevailed.  The  capture  of  this  fort  by  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  together  with  the  consequent 
removal  of  the  chains  and  booms  that  ob 
structed  the  navigation,  opened  a  passage  (e 


dred  men  marched  instantly  under  Colonel  Meigs;  and  the  author,, 
with  Dr  Beardsley,  a  surgeon  in  the  brigade,  rode,  at  full  speed, 
through  a  b\e-p:Uh,  to  let  the  garrison  know,  that  a  reinforcement 
was  nn  its  march.  Notwithstanding  all  the  haste  these  officers 
made  to  and  over  the  river,  the  fort  was  so  completely  invested  on 
their  arrival,  that  it  was  impossible  to  enter.  They  went  on  board 
the  new  frigate  which  lav  near  the  fortress,  and  hud  the  misfoituue 
to  be  e,  though  not  unconcerned  spectators  of  the  storm.  They 
saw  t  minutest  actions  distinctly  when  the  works  were  earned. 
The  frigate,  after  receiving  several  platoons,  slipped  her  cable, 
and  proceeded  a  little  way  up  the  river;  hut  the  wind  aud  tide  be 
coming  adverse,  the  crew  set  her  op  fire,  to  prevent  he"  fading  in 
to  t  .e  hinds  of  the  en<  my,  whose  ships  were  approaching.  The 
louring  darkness  of  the  n'ght,  the  profound  stillix  ss  that  reigned, 
the  interrupted  flashes  of  the  flames  that  illuminated  the  waters, 
the  long  shadows  of  the  clifts  that  now  and  then  were  se*  n,  the  ex 
plosion  >f  the  cannon  which  were  left  loaded  in  the  ship,  and  the 
re\  •  'In-rating  echo  which  resounded,  at  intervals,  between  the 
stupendous  mountains  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  composed  an  awful 
nig-i'-pi-.-ce  for  persons  prepared  by  the  preceding  scene,  to  cojv» 
template  subjects  of  horrid  sublimity. 


150          LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

Albany,  and  seemed  to  favour  a  junction  of  his 
force  with  that  of  General  Burgoyne.  But 
the  latter  having  been  compelled  to  capitulate 
a  few  days  after  this  event,  and  great  number* 
of  militia  having  arrived  from  New-England, 
the  successful  army  returned  to  New- York  ; 
yet  not  before  a  detachment  from  it,  under  the 
orders  of  General  Vaughan,  had  burnt  the 
defenceless  town  of  Esopus,  and  several  scat 
tering  buildings  on  the  banks  of  the  riven 

Notwithstanding  the  army  in  the  Highlands 
had  been  so  much  weakened,  for  the  sake  of 
strengthening  the  armies  in  other  quarters,  as 
to  have  occasioned  the  loss  of  Fort  Montgom 
ery,  yet  that  loss  was  productive  of  no  conse 
quences.  Our  main  army  in  Pennsylvania* 
after  having  contended  with  superior  force  in 
tvVO  indecisive  battles,  still  held  the  enemy  in 
check;  while  the  splendid  success  which  at 
tended  our  arms  at  the  northward,  gave  a 
more  favourable  aspect  to  the  American  af 
fairs,  at  the  close  of  this  campaign,  than  they 
had  ever  before  assumed. 

When  the  enemy  fell  back  to  New- York  by 
Avatcr,  we  followed  them  a  part  of  the  way  by 
land.  Colonel  Mcigs,  with  a  detachment  from 
the  several  regiments  in  General  Parsons's 
brigade,  having  made  a  forced  inarch  from 
Crompond  to  West-Chester,  surprised  and 
broke  up  for  a  time  the  band  of  freebooters, 
of  whom  he  brought  off  fifty,  together  with 
many  cattle  and  horses  which  they  had  recent 
ly  stolen, 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      151 

Soon  after  this  enterprise  General  Putnam 
advanced  towards  the  British  lines.  As  he 
had  received  intelligence  that  small  bodies  of 
the  enemy  were  out,  with  orders  from  Gov 
ernor  Trjon  to  burn  Wright's  mills,  he  pre 
vented  it  by  detaching  three  parties,  of  one 
hundred  men  in  each.  One  of  these  parties 
fell  in  with  arid  captured  thirty-five,  and  an 
other  forty  of  the  new  levies.  But  as  he  could 
not  prevent  a  third  hostile  party  from  burning 
the  house  of  Mr.  Van  Tassel,  a  noted  whig 

*  O 

and  a  committee-man,  who  was  forced  to  go 
along  with  them,  naked  and  barefoot,  on  the 
icy  ground,  in  a  freezing  night,  he,  for  the  pro 
fessed  purpose  of  retaliation,  sent  Captain  Bu 
chanan,  in  a  whale-boat,  to  burn  the  house  of 
General  Oliver  Delancy  on  York-Island.  Bu 
chanan  effected  his  object,  and  by  this  expedi 
tion  put  a  period,  for  the  present,  to  that  un 
meaning  and  wanton  species  of  destruction. 

While  General  Putnam  quartered  at  Ne\v- 
Rochel,  a  scouting  party,  which  had  been  sent 
to  West-Farms,  below  West-Chester,  sur 
rounded  the  house  in  which  Colonel  James 
Delancy  lodged,  and,  notwithstanding  he  crept 
under  the  bed  the  better  to  be  concealed, 
brought  him  to  Head-Quarters  before  morn 
ing.  This  officer  was  exchanged  by  the  Brit 
ish  General  without  delay,  and  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  cow-boys,  a  licentious  corps  of  ir 
regulars,  who  in  the  sequel,  committed  un 
heard  of  depredations  and  excesses. 


152       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

It  was  distressing  to  see  so  beautiful  a  part 
of  the  country  so  barbarously  wasted,  and  of 
ten  to  witness  some  peculiar  scene  of  female 
misery  :  for  most  of  the  female  inhabitants 
had  been  obliged  to  fly  within  the  lines  pos 
sessed  by  one  army  or  the  other.  Near  our 
quarters  was  an  affecting  instance  of  human  vi 
cissitude.  Mr.  William  Sutton,  of  Maroneck, 
an  inoffensive  man,  a  merchant  by  profession, 
who  lived  in  a  decent  fashion,  and  whose  fam 
ily  had  as  happy  prospects  as  almost  anv  in 
the  country,  upon  some  imputation  of  toryism, 
went  to  the  enemy.  His  uife,  oppressed  with 

frief  in  the  disagreeable  state  of  dereliction, 
id  not  long  survive.  Betsey  Sutton,  their 
eldest  daughter,  was  a  mudest  and  lovely 
young  woman,  of  about  fifteen  years  old, 
when,  at  the  death  of  her  mother,  the  care  of 
five  or  six  younger  children  devolved  upon 
her.  She  was  discreet  and  provident  beyond 
her  years;  but  when  we  saw  her,  she  looked 
to  be  feeble  in  health — broken  in  spirit — wan, 
melancholy,  and  dejected.  She  said  "  that 
their  last  cow,  which  furnished  milk  for  the 
children,  had  lately  been  taken  away — that 
they  had  frequently  been  plundeied  of  their 
wearing  apparel  and  furniture,  she  believed 
by  both  parties — that  they  had  little  more  to 
lose — and  that  she  knew  not  where  to  procure 
bread  for  the  dear  little  ones,  who  had  no  fa 
ther  to  provide  for  them" — no  mother — she 
was  going  to  have  said — but  a  torrent  of  te.ars 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      153 

choaked  articulation.  In  coming  to  that  part 
of  the  country  again,  after  some  campaigns 
had  elapsed,  I  found  the  habitation  desolate, 
and  the  garden  overgrown  with  weeds.  Up 
on  inquiry,  I  learnt,  that  as  soon  as  we  left 
the  place,  some  ruffians  broke  into  the  house 
while  she  lay  in  bed,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
night;  and  that,  having  been  terrified  by  their 
rudeness,  she  ran,  half-naked,  into  a  neigh 
bouring  swamp,  where  she  continued  unlii  the 
morning — there  the  poor  girl  caught  a  violent 
cold,  which  ended  in  a  consumption.  It  finish 
ed  a  life  without  a  spot — and  a  career  of  suf 
ferings  commenced  and  continued  without  a 
fault. 

Sights  of  wretchedness  always  touched  with 
commiseration  the  feelings  of  General  Putnam, 
and  prompted  his  generous  soul  to  succour  the 
afflicted.  But  the  indulgence  which  he  show 
ed,  whenever  it  did  not  militate  against  his  du 
ty,  towards  the  deserted  and  suffering  families 
of  the  tori^s  in  the  State  of  New-York,  was 
the  cause  of  his  becoming  unpopular  with  no 
inconsiderable  class  of  people  in  that  State. 
On  the  other  side,  he  had  conceived  an  uncon 
querable  aversion  to  many  of  the  persons  who 
were  entrusted  with  the  disposal  of  tory-prop- 
erty,  because  he  believed  them  to  have  been 
guilty  of  peculations  and  other  infamous  prac 
tices.  But  although  the  enmity  between  him 
and  the  sequestrators  was  acrimonious  as  mu 
tual,  yet  he  lived  in  habits  of  amity  with  the 
14 


154      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

most  respectable  characters  in  public  depart 
ments,  as  well  as  in  private  life. 

His  character  was  also  respected  by  the  en 
emy.  He  had  been  acquainted  with  many  of 
the  principal  officers  in  a  former  war.  As 
flags  frequently  passed  between  the  out-posts, 
during  his  continuance  on  the  lines,  it  was  a 
common  practice  to  forward  newspapers  by 
them ;  and  as  those  printed  by  Rivington,  the 
royal  printer  in  New-York,  were  infamous  for 
the  falsehoods  with  which  they  abounded, 
General  Putnam  once  sent  a  packet  to  his  old 
friend  General  Robertson,  with  this  billet : 
;;  Major-General  Putnam  presents  his  compli 
ments  to  Major-General  Robertson,  and  sends 
him  some  American  newspapers  for  his  peru 
sal — when  General  Robertson  shall  have  done 
with  them,  it  is  requested  they  be  given  to 
Rivirigton,  in  order  that  he  may  print  some 
truth." 

Late  in  the  year  we  left  the  lines  and  re 
paired  to  the  Highlands  ;  for  upon  the  loss  of 
Fort  Montgomery,  the  Commander  in  Chief 
determined  to  build  another  fortification  for 
the  defence  of  the  river.  His  Excellency,  ac 
cordingly,  wrote  to  General  Putnam  to  fix  up 
on  the  spot.  After  reconnoitering  all  the  dif 
ferent  places  proposed,  arid  revolving  in  his 
own  mind  their  relative  advantages  for  offence 
on  the  water  and  defence  on  the  land,  he  fix 
ed  upon  WEST-POINT.  It  is  no  vulgar  praise 
to  say,  that  to  him  belongs  the  glory  of  having 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      155 

chosen  this  rock  of  our  military  salvation.  The 
portion  for  water-batteries,  which  might  sweep 
tiie  channel  where  the  river  formed  a  right 
angle,  made  it  the  most  proper  of  any  lor 
coiumanding  the  navigation;  while  the  rocky 
ridges  that  rose  in  awful  sublimity  behind 
each  other,  rendered  it  impregnable,  and  even 
incapable  of  being  invested  by  less  than  twen 
ty  thousand  men.  The  British,  who  consider 
ed  this  post  as  a  sort  of  American  Gibraltar, 
never  attempted  it  but  by  the  treachery  of  an 
American  officer.  All  the  world  knows  that 
this  project  failed,  and  that  West-Point  con 
tinues  to  be  the  receptacle  of  every  thing  val 
uable  in  military  preparations  to  the  present 
day. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1778,  when  a 
snow,  two  feet  deep,  lay  on  the  earth,  General 
Parsons's  brigade  went  to  West-Point  and 
broke  ground.  Want  of  covering  for  the 
troops,  together  with  want  of  tools  and  mate 
rials  for  the  works,  made  the  prospect  truly 
gloomy  and  discouraging.  It  was  necessary 
that  means  should  be  found,  though  our  cur 
rency  was  depreciated,  and  our  treasury  ex 
hausted.  The  estimates  and  requisitions  of 
Colonel  la  Radiere,  the  engineer  who  laid  out 
the  works,  altogether  disproportioned  to  our 
circumstances,  served  only  to  put  us  in  mind 
of  our  poverty,  and,  as  it  were,  to  satirize  our 
resources.  His  petulent  behaviour  and  unac*- 
commodating  disposition  added  further  em- 


156      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

barrassmerits.  It  was  then  that  the  patriotism 
of  Governor  Clinton  shone  in  full  lustre.  His 
exertions  to  furnish  supplies  can  never  be  tuo 
much  commended.  His  influence,  arising  from 
his  popularity,  was  unlimited:  yet  he  hesitated 
not  to  put  all  his  popularity  at  risk,  whenever 
the  federal  interests  demanded.  .Notwith 
standing  the  impediments  that  opposed  our 
progress,  with  his  aid,  before  the  opening  of 
the  campaign,  the  works  were  in  great  for 
wardness. 

According  to  a  resolution  of  Congress,  an 
inquiry  was  to  be  made  into  the  causes  of  mil 
itary  disasters.  Major-General  M'Dougall, 
Brigadier-General  Huntington,  and  Colonel 
Wigglesworth  composed  the  Court  of  Inquiry 
on  the  loss  of  Fort  Montgomery.  Upon  full 
knowledge  and  mature  deliberation  of  facts  on 
the  spot,  they  reported  the  loss  to  have  been 
occasioned  by  want  of  mea,  and  not  by  any 
fault  in  the  commanders. 

General  Putnam,  who  during  the  investiga 
tion  was  relieved  from  duty,  as  soon  as  Con 
gress  had  approved  the  report,  took  command 
of  the  right  wing  of  the  grand  army,  under  the 
orders  of  the  General  in  Chief.  This  was 
just  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  when  the 
three  armies  which  had  last  year  acted  sepa 
rately  joined  at  the  White-Plains.  Our  eflec- 
tive  force,  in  one  camp,  was  at  no  other  time 
so  respectable  as  at  this  juncture.  The  army 
consisted  oi  sixty  regular  regiments  of  loot. 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      157 

formed  into  fifteen  brigades,  four  battalions  of 
artillery,  four  regiments  of  horse,  and  several 
corps  of  State  troops.  But  as  the  enemy  kept 
close  within  their  lines  on  York  Island,  nothing 
could  be  attempted.  Towards  the  end  of  au 
tumn  we  broke  up  the  camp,  and  went  first  to 
Fredericksburgh,  and  thence  to  winter-quar 
ters. 

In  order  to  cover  the  country  adjoining  to 
the  Sound,  and  to  support  the  garrison  of  West- 
Point,  in  case  of  an  attack,  Major-General 
Putnam  was  stationed  for  the  winter  at  Read 
ing,  in  Connecticut.  He  had  under  his  orders 
the  brigade  of  New-Hampshire, jthe  two  brig 
ades  of  Connecticut,  the  corps  of  infantry  com- •• 
manded  by  Hazen,  arid  that  of  cavalry  by 
Sheldon. 

The  troops,  who  had  been  badly  fed,  badly 
cloathed,  and  worse  paid,  by  brooding  over 
their  grievances  in  the  leisure  and  inactivity  of 
winter-quarters,  began  to  think  them  intolera 
ble.  The  Connecticut  brigades  formed  the 
design  of  marching  to  Hartford,  where  the 
General  Assembly  was  then  in  session,  and  of 
demanding  redress  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
Word  having  been  brought  to  General  Put 
nam,  that  the  second  brigade  was  under  arms 
for  this  purpose,  he  mounted  his  horse,  gallop- 
ped  to  the  cantonment,  and  thus  addressed 
them  :  "  My  brave  lads,  whither  are  you  go 
ing  ?  Do  you  intend  to  desert  your  officers^ 
and  to  invite  the  enemy  to  follow  you  into  the 
14* 


158       LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

country  ?  Whose  cause  have  you  been  fighting 
and  suffering  so  long  in — is  it  not  your  own  ? 
Have  you  no  property,  no  parents,  wives  or 
children  ?  You  have  behaved  like  men  so  far 
— all  the  world  is  full  of  your  praises — and 
posterity  will  stand  astonished  at  your  deeds  : 
but  not  if  you  spoil  all  at  last  Don't  you 
consider  how  much  the  country  is  distressed 
by  the  war,  and  that  your  officers  have  not 
been  any  better  paid  than  yourselves  ?  But 
we  all  expect  better  times,  and  that  the  coun 
try  will  do  us  ample  justice.  Let  us  all  stand 
by  one  another,  then,  and  fight  it  out  like 
brave  soldiers.  Think  what  a  shame  it  would 
be  for  Connecticut  men  to  run  away  from  their 
officers."  After  the  several  regiments  had  re 
ceived  the  General  as  he  rode  along  the  line 
with  drums  beating,  and  presented  arms,  the  ser 
geants  who  had  then  the  command,  brought 
the  men  to  an  order,  in  which  position  they 
continued  while  he  was  speaking.  When  he 
had  done,  he  directed  the  acting  Major  of 
Brigade  to  give  the  word  for  them  to  shoul 
der,  march  to  their  regimental  parades,  and 
lodge  arms;  all  which  they  executed  with 
promptitude  and  apparent  good  humour.  One 
soldier,  only,  who  had  been  the  most  active, 
was  confined  in  the  quarter-guard  ;  from 
whence,  at  night,  he  attempted  to  make  his 
escape.  But  the  sentinel,  who  had  also  been 
in  the  mutiny,  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot,  and 
thus  the  affair  subsided, 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      159 

About  the  middle  of  winter,  while  General 
Putnam  was  on  a  visit  to  his  out-post  at  Horse- 
Neck,  he  found  Governor  Try  on  advancing 
upon  that  town  with  a  corns  of  fifteen  hundred 
men.  To  oppose  these  General  Putnam  had 
only  a  picquet  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
and  two  iron  field-pieces,  without  horses  or 
draoj-ropes.  He,  however,  planted  his  cannon 
on  tile  high  ground,  by  the  meeting-house, 
and  retarded  their  approach  by  firing  several 
times,  until,  perceiving  the  horse  (supported 
by  the  infantry)  about  to  charge,  he  ordered 
the  picquet  to  provide  for  their  safety,  by  re 
tiring  to  a  swamp  inaccessible  to  horse,  and 
secured  his  own,  by  plunging  down  the  steep 
precipice  at  the  church  upon  a  full  trot.  This 
precipice  is  so  steep,  where  he  descended,  as 
to  have  artificial  stairs,  composed  of  nearly 
one  hundred  stone  steps,  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  foot  passengers.  There  the  Dragoons, 
\vho  were  but  a  sword's  length  from  him, 
stopped  short;  for  the  declivity  was  so  abrupt, 
that  they  ventured  not  to  follow;  and,  before 
the)  could  gain  the  valley,  by  going  round  the 
brow  of  the  hill  in  the  ordinary  road,  he  was 
far  enough  beyond  their  reach.  He  continu 
ed  his  route,  unmolested,  to  Stanford  ;  from 
whence,  having  strengthened  his  picquet  by 
the  junction  of  some  rnilitia,  he  came  back 
again,  and,  in  turn,  pursued  Governor  Trvon 
in  his  retreat.*  As  he  rode  down  the  preci- 

*    In   this  retreat,  thrush    with  a  very  inferior  force,   General 
Fttluaiu  made  about  fifty  prisoners,  part  of  whom  were  wouuded, 


160      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM, 

pice,  one  ball,  of  the  many  fired  at  him,  went 
through  his  beaver:  But  Governor  Tryon,  by 
way  of  compensation  for  spoiling  his  hat,  sent 
him,  soon  afterwards,  as  a  present,  a  complete 
suit  of  clothes. 

In  the  campaign  of  1779,  which  terminated 
the  career  of  General  Putnam's  services,  he 
commanded  the  Maryland  line,  posted  at  But 
ter-Milk  falls,  about  two  miles  below  West- 
Point.  He  was  happy  in  possessing  the  friend 
ship  of  the  officers  of  that  line,  and  in  living  on 
terms  of  hospitality  with  them.  Indeed,  there 
was  no  family  in  the  army  that  lived  better 
than  his  own.  The  General,  his  second  son 
Major  Daniel  Putnam,  and  the  writer  of  these 
memoirs,  composed  that  family.  This  cam 
paign,  principally  spent  in  strengthening  the 
works  of  West-Point,  was  only  signalized  for 
the  storm  of  Stony-Point  by  the  light-infantry 
under  the  conduct  of  General  WTayne,  arid  the 
surprise  of  the  post  of  Powles-Hodk  by  the 
corps  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Henry 
Lee.  When  the  army  quitted  the  field,  and 
marched  to  Morris-Town,  into  winter-quarters, 
General  Putnam's  family  went  into  Connecti 
cut  for  a  few  weeks.  In  December  the  Gene 
ral  began  his  journey  to  Morris-Town.  Up 
on  the  road  between  Pomfret  and  Hartford, 


and  the  whole  were  the  next  day  sent,  under  the  escort  of  an  offi 
cer's  guxrd,  to  the  British  linrs  tor  exchange.  It  was  for  the  hu- 
m;<iiit)  and  kindness  of  Putnum  to  the  vouiided  prisoners,  that. 
Governor  Tryon  cunanluaeiUeU  him  with  tb«  '*  suit  ot  clothes.'* 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      161 

he  felt  an  unusual  torpor  slowly  pervading  his 
right  hand  and  foot.  This  heaviness  crept 
gradually  on,  until  it  had  deprived  him  of 
tiie  use  of  his  limbs  on  that  side,  in  a  consid 
erable  degree,  before  he  reached  the  house  of 
his  friend  Colonel  Wadsworth.  Slil!  he  was 
unwilling  to  consider  his  disorder  of  the  para 
lytic  kind,  and  endeavoured  to  shake  it  oil' by 
exertion.  Having  found  that  impossible,  a 
temporary  dejection,  disguised,  however,  un 
der  a  veil  of  assumed  cheerfulness,  succeeded. 
But  reason,  philosophy,  and  religion,  soon  re 
conciled  him  to  his  fat.'.  In  that  situation  he 
has  constantly  remained,  favoured  with  such 
a  portion  of  bodily  activity  as  enables  him  to 
•walk  and  to  ride  moderately  ;  and  retaining, 
unimpaired,  his  relish  for  enjoyment,  his  love 
of  pleasantry,  his  strength  of  memory,  and  all 
the  faculties  of  his  mind.  As  a  proof  that 
the  powers  of  memory  are  not  weakened,  it 
ought  to  be  observed,  that  he  has  lately  re 
peated,  from  recollection,  all  the  adventures 
of  his  life,  which  are  here  recorded,  and  which 
had  formerly  been  communicated  to  the  com 
piler  in  detached  conversations. 

In  patient,  yet  fearless  expectation  of  the 
approach  of  THE  KING  OF  TERRORS,  whom  he 
hath  full  often  faced  in  the  field  of  blood,  the 
Christian  hero  now  enjoys,  in  domestic  retire 
ment,  the  fruit  of  his  early  industry.  Having 
in  youth  provided  a  competent  subsistence  for 
old  age,  he  was  secured  from  the  danger  of 


162      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

penury  and  distress,  to  which  so  many  officers 
and  soldiers,  worn  out  in  the  public  service, 
have  been  reduced.  To  illustrate  his  merits 
the  more  fully,  this  Essay  will  be  concluded 
with  a  copy  of  the  last  letter  written  to  him, 
by  General  Washington,  in  his  military  char 
acter. 


44  Head-Quarters,  2d  June,  1783. 

"  DEAR  SIR, 

"  Your  favour  of  the  20th  of  May  I  receiv 
ed  with  much  pleasure.  For  I  can  assure  you 
that  among  the  many  worthy  and  meritorious 
officers  with  whom  I  have  had  the  happiness 
to  be  connected  in  service  through  the  course 
of  this  war,  and  from  whose  cheerful  assistance 
in  the  various  and  trying  vicissitudes  of  a 
complicated  contest,  the  name  of  a  PUTNAM  is 
not  forgotten  ;  nor  will  be  but  with  that  stroke 
of  time  which  shall  obliterate  from  my  mind 
the  remembrance  of  all  those  toils  and  fatigues 
through  which  we  have  struggled  for  the  pre 
servation  and  establishment  of  the  Rights, 
Liberties,  and  Independence  of  our  Country. 

"  Your  congratulations  on  the  happy  pro 
spects  of  peace  and  independent  security, 
with  their  attendant  blessings  to  the  UNITED 
STATES,  I  receive  with  great  satisfaction  ;  and 
beg  that  you  will  accept  a  return  of  my  gratu- 
lations  to  you  on  this  auspicious  event — an 


LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      163 

event,  in  which,  great  as  it  is  in  itself,  and  glo 
rious  as  it  will  probably  be  in  its  consequences, 
you  have  a  right  to  participate  largely,  from 
the  distinguished  part  you  have  contributed 
towards-  its  attainment. 

"  But  while  I  contemplate  the  greatness  of 
the  object  for  which  we  have  contended,  and 
felicitate  you  on  the  happy  issue  of  our  toils 
and  labours,  which  have  terminated  with  such 
general  satisfaction,  I  lament  that  you  should 
feel  the  ungrateful  returns  of  a  country,  in 
whose  service  you  have  exhausted  your  bodi 
ly  strength,  and  expended  the  vigour  of  a 
youthful  constitution.  I  wish,  however,  that 
your  expectations  of  returning  liberality  may 
be  verified.  I  have  a  hope  they  may — but 
should  they  not,  your  case  will  not  be  a  sin 
gular  one.  Ingratitude  has  been  experienced  in 
all  ages,  and  REPUBLICS,  in  particular,  have  ev 
er  been  famed  for  the  exercise  of  that  unnatural 
and  SORDID  VICE. 

"  The  SECRETARY  AT  WAR,  who  is  now 
here,  informs  me  that  you  have  ever  been 
considered  as  entitled  to  full  pay  since  your 
absence  from  the  field,  and  that  you  will  still 
be  considered  in  that  light  until  the  close  of 
the  war;  at  which  period  you  will  be  equally 
entitled  to  the  same  emoluments  of  half-pay 
or  commutation  as  other  officers  of  your  rank. 
The  same  opinion  is  also  given  by  the  Pay- 
Master-General,  who  is  now  with  the  army, 
empowered  by  Mr.  Morris  for  the  settlement 


164      LIFE  OF  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

of  all  their  accounts,  and  who  will  attend  to 
jour's  whenever  you  shall  think  proper  to 
send  on  ior  the  purpose,  which  it  will  proba 
bly  be  best  for  you  to  do  in  a  short  time. 

4- 1  anticipate,  with  pleasure,  the  day,  and 
that,  I  trust,  not  far  off,  when  I  shall  quit  the 
busy  scenes  of  a  military  employment,  arid  re 
tire  to  the  more  tranquil  walks  of  domestic 
life.  In  that,  or  whatever  other  situation 
Providence  may  dispose  of  my  future  ciavs, 

THE  REMEMBRANCE  OF  THE  MANY  FRIENDSHIPS 
AND  CONNECTIONS  I  HAVE  HAD  THE  HAPPINESS 
TO  CONTRACT  WrITH  THE  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE 
ARMY,  WILL  BE  ONE  OF  MY  MOST  GRATEFUL 

REFLECTIONS.  Under  this  contemplation,  and 
impressed  with  the  sentiments  of  benevolence  and 
regard,  1  commend  you.  my  dtar  Sir,  my  other 
friends,  and  wtth  them,  the  interests  and  happi 
ness  of  our  dear  country,  to  the  KEEPING  AND 

PROTECTION    OF    ALMIGHTY    GoD. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


«  To  the  Honourable 

"  Major-General  PUTNAM.'' 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      165 

THE  remainder  of  the  life  of  General  Put 
nam  was  passed  in  quiet  retirement  with  his 
family.  He  experienced  few  interruptions  in 
his  bodily  health,  (except  the  paralytic  debili 
ty  with  which  he  was  afflicted)  retained  full 
possession  of  his  mental  faculties,  and 'en 
joyed  the  society  of  his  friends  until  the  17th 
of  May,  1790,  when  he  was  violently  attack 
ed  with  an  inflammatory  disease.  Satisfied 
from  the  first  that  it  would  prove  mortal,  he 
"was  calm  and  resigned,  and  welcomed  the  ap 
proach  of  death  with  joy,  as  a  messenger  sent 
to  call  him  from  a  life  of  toil  to  everlasting  rest. 
On  the  19th  of  May,  1790,  he  ended  a  life 
which  had  been  spent  in  cultivating  and  de 
fending  the  soil  of  his  birth. 

Much  of  his  life  had  been  spent  in  arms, 
and  the  military  of  the  neighbourhood  were 
desirous  that  the  rites  of  sepulture  should  be 
accompanied  with  martial  honours  :  they  felt 
that  this  last  tribute  of  respect  was  due  to  a 
soldier,  who,  from  a  patriotic  love  of  country, 
bad  devoted  the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the  de 
fence  of  her  rights,  and  the  establishment  of 
her  independence — and  who,  through  long 
and  trying  services,  was  never  once  reproach 
ed  for  misconduct  as  an  officer ;  but  when 
disease  compelled  him  to  retire  from  service, 
left  it,  beloved  and  respected  by  the  army  and 
his  chief,  and  with  high  claims  to  the  grateful 
remembrance  of  his  country. 
15 


J  66       LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

Under  these  impressions,  the  grenadiers  of 
the  llth  regiment,  the  Independent  corps  of 
artillerists,  and  the  militia  companies  in  the 
neighbourhood,  assembled  each  at  their  ap 
pointed  rendezvous,  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  21st,  and  having  repaired  to  the  late 
dwelling  house  of  the  deceased,  a  suitable  es 
cort  was  formed,  attended  by  a  procession  of 
the  Masonic  brethren  present,  and  a  large 
Concourse  of  respectable  citizens,  which  moved 
to  the  Congregational  meeting  house  in  Brook 
lyn;  and,  after  divine  service  performed  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Whitney,  all  that  was  earthly  of  a 
patriot  and  hero  was  laid  in  the  silent  tomb, 
under  the  discharge  of  voliies  from  the  infan 
try,  and  minute  guns  from,  the  artillery. 


LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM.      167 


The  following  eulogium  was  pronounced  at  the 
grave  of  General  Putnam  by  Dr.  A.  Waldo. 

"  Those  venerable  relics  !  once  delighted 
in  the  endearing  domestic  virtues,  which  con 
stitute  the  excellent  neighbour — husband — 
parent — and  worthy  brother  !  liberal  and  sub 
stantial  in  his  friendship; — unsuspicious — open 
— and  generous; — just  and  sincere  in  dealing; 
a  benevolent  citizen  of  the  world — He  concen 
trated  in  his  bosom,  the  noble  qualities  of  an 
HONEST  MAN. 

"  Born  a  hero — whom  nature  taught  and 
cherished  in  the  lap  of  innumerable  toils  and 
dangers,  he  was  terrible  in  battle  !  But,  from 
the  amiableness  of  his  heart — when  carnage 
ceased,  his  humanity  spread  over  the  field,  like 
the  refreshing  zephyrs  of  a  summer's  evening  ! 
— The  prisoner — the  wounded — the  sick — the 
forlorn — experienced  the  delicate  sympathy  of 
this  SOLDIER'S  PILLAR — The  poor,  and  the 
needy,  of  every  description,  received  the  char 
itable  bounties  of  this  CHRISTIAN  SOLDIER. 

"  He  pitied  littleness — loved  goodness — ad 
mired  greatness,  and  ever  aspired  to  its  glo 
rious  summit !  The  friend,  the  servant,  and 
almost  unparalleled  lover  of  his  country ; — 
worn  with  honourable  age,  and  the  former 
toils  of  war — PUTNAM  !  *  Rests  from  his  la 
bours.' 


168      LIFE  OP  GENERAL  PUTNAM. 

"  Till  mouldering  worlds  and  tumbling  systems  burst ! 
When  the  last  trump  shall  renovate  his  dust — • 
Stil!  by  the  mandate  of  eternal  truth, 
His  soul  Mill  '  flourish  in  immortal  youth  !'  " 

"  This  all  who  knew  him  know; — this  alJ 
who  lov'd  him,  tell." 


Jlie  late  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight,  President  of  Yale  College, 
Wi  <>  knew  General  Putnam  intimately,  has  portray 
ed  nis  character  faithfully  in  the  following  inscrip 
tion,  wiiich  is  engraven  on  his  tomb. 

Sacred  be  this  Monument 
to  the  memory 

of 

ISRAEL   PUTNAM,  ENQUIRE, 
senior  Major  General  in  the  armies 

of 
the  United  States  of  America ; 

who 

was  born  at  Salem, 

in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts, 

on  the  ?tii  day  of  January, 

A.  D.  1718, 

and  died 

on  the  19th  day  of  May, 

A.  D.  1790. 

Passenger, 

if  thou  art  a  Soldier, 

drop  a  tear  over  the  dust  of  a  Hero 

who, 

ever  attentive 
igthe  lives  and  happiness  of  his  men, 

dared  to  lead 
where  any  dared  to  follow ; 

if  a  Patriot, 
remember  the  distinguished  and  gallant  services 

rendered  thy  country 

by  the  Patriot  who  sleeps  beneath  this  marble ;    . 
if  thou  art  honest,  generous  and  worthy, 
render  a  cheerful  tribute  of  respect 

to  a  man, 

•whose  generosity  was   singular, 
"whose  nonesty  was  proverbial ; 

who 

raised  himself  to  universal  esteem, 

and  offices  of  eminent  distinction, 

by  personal  worth 

and  a 
useful  life. 


APPENDIX. 


v^vvvvvvvvvvvvvv-vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv-v^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  TOPOGRAPHICAL 


SKETCH 


OF 


H&TT1VE 


8. 


DISTRICT  OP  MASSACHUSETTS,  TO 

District  Clerk's  Office. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  ninth  day  of  September, 
A.  D  1818,  and  in  the  forty -third  year  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  Samuel  Svett  of  the  said  district  has 
deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  book,  the  right  whereof  he 
claims  as  author,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit  .• 

Historical  and  topographical  Sketch  of  Bunker  Hill  Battle,  with 
a  Plan.  By  S.  Swett. 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
entitled,  "  An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning  by  securing 
the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprie 
tors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned  :  and  also 
to  an  Act  entitled,  "An  Act  supplementary  to  an  Act,  entitled, 
An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies 
of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such 
copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned  ;  and  extending  the 
benefits  thereof  tq  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving  and  etching  his 
torical  and  other  prints." 

JOHN  W.  DAVIS, 
Glerk  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


THE  writer  of  the  following  has  no  ambi 
tion  or  pretensions  to  be  an  author,  but  from 
his  attention  to  military  subjects,  consented  to 
describe  a  battle,  one  of  the  most  glorious  and 
important  ever  fought  in  America,  and  to  ren 
der  his  feeble  contribution  to  the  monument 
of  fame  which  history  yet  owes  our  ancestors. 
The  materials  lay  scattered  among  newspa 
pers,  magazines,  records  and  files  of  Congress, 
the  scattered  surviving  veterans  of  the  day, 
and  others.  He  was  compelled  by  circum 
stances  to  commence  his  researches  in  July,  and 
'finish  his  sketch  in  August ;  but  he  remind 
ed  himself  that  our  fathers  fought  for  us  in  the 
same  oppressive  season,  and  spared  no  effort 
to  render  the  work  complete.  Not  a  single 
fact  is  stated  of  which  he  has  not  the  most  sat 
isfactory  evidence.  That  the  public  however 
may  judge  for  themselves,  he  has  deposited 
his  documents  and  proofs  for  their  use  at  the 
Boston  Athaeneum. 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER. 


WARD,  Pomeroy,  Thomas,  Heath  and 
Whitcomb  were  appointed  by  the  Provincial 
Congress  of  Massachusetts  general  officers 
over  the  militia.  These  troops  having  de 
feated  the  British  at  Lexington,  and  driven 
them  into  Boston,  could  no  longer  be  retained 
in  quarters. 

But  five  days  after  the  battle,  General 
Ward  writes  Congress  that  unless  enlisting 
orders  be  immediately  furnished  him,  he  sliall 
be  left  entirely  alone.  The  -day- be  fore,  how 
ever,  that  body  resolved,  that  an  army  of 
thirty  thousand  was  necessary,  that  Mas 
sachusetts  would  raise  thirteen  thousand  six 
hundred,  and  that  the  other  New  England 
States  should  have  notice  given  them,  and 
be  requested  to  furnish  their  respective 
proportions  But  the  battle  of  Lexington  was 
a  beacon  fire  to  the  neighbouring  states.  The 
hardy  yeomen,  whom  rage  supplied  with 
arms,  did  not  wait  to  be  summoned  by  the 
16 


178         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

tardy  process  of  legislation ;  they  seized  their 
hunting  pieces,  and  fl^w  to  join  their  brethren 
at  the  scene  of  danger. 

The  Committee  of  Safety,  elected  anew  by 
Congress  at  every  session,  Wf-re  the  real 
executive  of  Massachusetts.  The  members 
were  now  John  Hancock  and  Benjamin 
Greenleaf,  who  never  took  their  seats,  John 
Pigeon  and  Enoch  Freeman,  seldom  present, 
and  Joseph  Warren,  chairman,  Benjamin 
Church,  Benjamin  White,  Joseph  Palmeri 
Abraham  Watson,  Samuel  Holten,  Azor  Orne, 
Nathan  Cushing  and  Richard  Devens.  They 
were  empowered  generally  to  watch  over  the 
safety  of  the  commonwealth,  and  advise  Con- 

fress  of  such  measures  as  they  thought  bene- 
cial,  and  expressly  commissioned  : 

"To  assemble  such  and  so  many  of  the 
"  Militia  and  them  to  dispose  and  place  where 
"  and  detain  so  long  as  said  Committee  shall 
"judge  necessary,  and  discharge  said  Militia 
u  when  the  safety  of  the  Colony  will  admit. 
"And  the  officers  of  the  said  Militia  are  en- 
"joyned  to  obey  the  orders  and  directions  of 
"  said  Committee  of  Safety.  And  also  to  direct 
"  the  army  of  this  Colon)  to  be  stationed  where 
"said  Committee  of  Safety  shall  judge  most 
"conducive  to  the  defence  and  service  of  this 
"  Colony,  and  the  general  and  other  officers  of 
"  the  army  are  requested  to  render  strict  obe- 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  179 

44  dience  to  such  orders  of  said  Committee ;  but 
"Congress  have  power  to  control  any  order  of 
"  the  Committee  of  Safety.  Also  to  nominate 
"  persons  to  Congress  to  he  commissioned  offi- 
"cers  in  the  army  and  to  give  enlisting  orders 
44  to  such  persons  as  they  think  proper.  And 
44  if  any  officers  be  ready  to  be  commissioned 
"  agreeable  to  the  resolve  of  this  Congress 
44  during  the  recess  of  the  same  the  Committee 
"shall  till  up  and  deliver  to  them  commissions 
"  to  be  furnished  said  Committee  in  blank  for 
44  that  purpose." 

This  committee  distributed  beating  or  en 
listing  orders  throughout  the  state  to  those 
whom  they  thought  qualified  to  raise  recruits. 
The  number  of  a  company  was  reduced  from 
one  hundred  to  fifty-nine  ;  and  he  who  could 
enlist  this  number  was  entitled  to  a  captain's 
commission,  and  one  who  procured  ten  cap 
tains  with  companies  to  serve  under  him  com 
manded  the  regiment.  The  Congress  of  Mas 
sachusetts  issued  an  eloquent  address  to  the 
people,  which  would  do  honor  to  any  legisla 
ture  on  earth.  The  recruits  came  in  with 
spirit,  and  by  the  middle  of  June  the  New 
England  army  of  citizen  soldiers  enlisted  for 
a  few  months  amounted  to  about  fifteen  thou 
sand  troops. 

About  ten  thousand  of  these  were  of  Mas 
sachusetts;  animated  with  the  same  love  of 


1 80  BUNKER   HILL  BATTLE. 

liberty  which  inspired  the  whole,  they  were 
most  confident  in  the  rectitude  of  their  cause, 
in  which  they  were  thoroughly  instructed  by 
James  Otis,  who  led  the  forlorn  hope  of  tiie 
revolution,  John  Adams,  Quincy,  Hancock, 
Samuel  Adams,  and  other  enlightened  pa 
triots.  And  they  were  fighting  battles  more 
peculiarly  their  own,  in  defence  of  their  wives, 
children  and  homes.  But  the  more  animating 
consideration  to  them  as  soldiers,  was  the 
chivalrous  reputation  of  their  ancestors  and 
themselves,  who  had  been  in  constant  battle 
and  constant  victory  against  their  formidable 
savage  foe,  and  had  more  recently  proved  at 
Nova  Scotia  and  Louisbourgh  that  they  were 
equally  formidable  against  the  civilized  troops 
of  Europe. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 


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BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         183 

The  regiment  of  artillery  was  organized 
under  Colonel  Richard  Gridlej,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  William  Burbeck,  Majors  David  Ma 
son  and  Scarborough  Gridley,  and  ten  cap 
tains,  with  one  six,  two  brass  four,  and  six 
iron  three  pound  cannon. 

Rhode  Island  had  sent  a  regiment  to  Mas 
sachusetts  imbued  with  the  determined  spirit 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  which  the  founder 
of  their  state  maintained  through  every  peril. 
Colonel  Green*  was  their  commander,  one  of 
the  most  promising  heroes  of  the  revolution. 
The  elements  of  a  soldier  were  so  mixed  in 
him,  that  the  wise  already  foresaw  his  elevat 
ed  rank  among  warriors  the  most  distinguish 
ed.  Under  him  were  Lieutenant  Colonel  Oiny 
and  Major  Boxan,  experienced  English  sol 
diers.  Two  field  pieces  were  attached  to  the 
corps.  •* 

The  hardy  yeomanry  of  New  Hampshire, 
betieaih  whose  ponderous  strokes  the  formid 
able  forests  and  the  savages  who  inhabited 
them  had  been  levelled  with  the  ground,  who 
had  been  used  to  little  control  but  what  the 
God  ot  Nature  imposed,  were  moved  with  in 
dignation  at  approaching  tyranny.  They 
flocked  as  volunteers  to  the  neighbourhood  of 


*  The  accomplished  scholar,  Jud^e  Johnson,  is 
esenting  the  public  a  biography  ol  this  hero. 


abou* 
presei 


184  BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Boston,  and  chose  Colonel  Stark,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  YVymau  and  Major  MkClary  their 
leaders. 

Their  colonel  was  worthy  to  command  this 
formidable  band  ;  he  had  been  a  distinguished 
captain  of  Provincial  Rangers  received  into 
the  service  of  the  crown,  was  at  Quebec 
under  Geneial  Wolfe,  and  enjoyed  half  pay 
as  a  British  officer,  an  offering  he  made  with 
other  sacrifices  for  the  good  of  his  country. 

Their  major  also  was  a  favourite  officer. 
Six  feet  and  a  half  hi  height,  with  a  Hercu 
lean  form  in  perfect  proportions,  a  voice  like 
Stentorand  strength  of  Ajax  ;  ever  unequalled 
in  athletic  exercises,  and  unsubdued  in  single 
combat,  whole  bodies  of  men  had  been  over 
come  by  him,  and  he  seemed  totally  uncon 
scious  that  he  was  not  equally  unconquerable 
at  the  cannon's  mouth.  His  mind  and  char 
acter  were  of  the  same  grand  and  energetic 
cast  with  his  person;  and  though  deficient  in 
the  advantages  of  finished  education,  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  and 
his  mercantile  concerns  were  extensive. 

These  troops  were  followed  by  another 
regiment  from  New  Hampshire,  which  arrived 
on  the  fifteenth  of  June,  under  Colonel  Reed, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Oilman  and  Major  Hale. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         185 

Connecticut,  essentially  and  undeviatingly 
republican,  was  behind  none  of  the  provinces 
in  her  determined  hostility  to  the  usurpation 
and  encroachments  of  the  throne.  To  her 
autipathj  to  royally  the  proscribed  judges  of 
Charles  the  first  had  owed  their  inviolable 
asylum  in  her  territory.  Religious  as  well  as 
civil  liberty  was  in  jeopardy,  and  the  former 
with  her  was  paramount  to  all  earthly  con 
siderations.  In  her  vocabulary  the  British 
troops  were  the  Philistines,  and  Putnam,  the 
American  Samson,  a  chosen  instrument  to  de 
feat  the  foe  ;  and  fortunately  she  inspired  her 
own  confidence  into  all  her  sister  states. 

With  their  usual  sagacity  however  these 
troops,  notwithstanding  a  confident  reliance 
on  supernatural  aid,  did  not  neglect  all  human 
means  to  secure  it.  Their  state  government, 
constitution,  and  establishments  continued  un 
changed.  Their  troops  were  better  armed, 
better  disciplined  and  provisioned  than  any 
troops  in  the  New  England  army. 

On  the  first  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexing 
ton,  Putnam  mounted  his  horse,  rode  in  a 
single  day  one  hundred  miles,  arrived «  at 
Cambridge,  and  attended  a  council  of  war  on 
the  2ist  of  April,  when  t:io  parole  was  Put 
nam.*  His  troops  soon  followed  him.  Storrs 

*  Orderly  Book. 


186         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

was  lieutenant  colonel,  and  Durkee,  who 
had  served  with  him  through  the  whole  war 
of  1756,  with  distinguished  reputation,  was 
major  of  his  regiment.  Brigadier  General 
Spencer,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Willis  and  Major 
Mayo,Colonel  Waterbury  and  Colonel  Parsons 
came  also  with  the  Connecticut  troops,  in  all 
about  three  thousand.  Captain  Coit  next  to 
M 'Clary  in  stature  and  intrepidity  commanded 
an  independent  company  of  hardy  New 
London  tars,  and  Chester  another  indepen 
dent  company  from  Weathersrield,  the  elite 
corps  of  the  army.  As  such  it  was  selected  to 
escort  General  Putnam  and  Joseph  Warren, 
the  President  of  Congress,  to  Cnarlestown, 
on  the  exchange  of  prisoners  with  the  British. 

The  scene  of  their  meeting  was  hallowed 
by  the  flag  of  truce  which  waved  over  it,* 
and  was  sacred  to  the  rites  of  hospitality  and 
friendship.  The  officers  on  both  sides  were 
personal  friends,  though  arrayed  against  each 
other  in  public  hostility.  Between  Putnam 
and  the  British  officers,  especially,  these  ties 
had  been  cemented  by  the  mutual  perils  and 
intimate  associations  of  the  camp,  during  the 
long  war  of  1756,  and  their  present  opposition 
served  only  to  make  their  affection  glow  with 
a  more  genial  warmth.  These  rugged  sons 
•f  Mars,  from  the  impulse  of  feeling,  rushed 

*  Newspapers  and  oral  testimony; 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        18? 

into  each  others  arms.  Bravery  proved  its 
natural  alliance  with  the  finest  feelings  of  the 
human  heart.  The  fell  spirit  of  civil  war  was 
softened. 

The  whole  army  was  under  the  command 
of  Artemas  Ward,  commissioned  by  the  Pro 
vincial  Congress,  on  the  2ist  of  May,  general 
and  commander  in  chief  of  the  Massachusetts 
forces.  His  general  orders  were  copied  and 
obeyed  by  the  forces  of  all  the  other  prov 
inces  in  Massachusetts,  indiscriminately,  and 
the  officers  of  all  of  them  were  ordered  on 
courts  martial,  arid  detailed  for  the  usual  rou 
tine  of  duty  without  any  distinction  whatever.* 
Congress  also  resolved,  on  the  23d  of  May, 
that  a  lieutenant  general,  two  major  gene 
rals,  four  brigadier  generals,  two  adjutant 
and  two  quarter  master  generals  should  be 
appointed. 

General  Ward  was  a  gentleman  of  liberal 
education,  vigorous  understanding  and  distin 
guished  probity.  He  had  been  a  member  of 
the  council,  speaker  of  the  assembly,  and 
chief  justice  of  one  of  the  courts  in  Massa 
chusetts.  He  professed  the  rigid  tenets  of 
New  England  religion,  and  his  rank  and  char 
acter  commanded  an  extensive  influence  in 
the  country.  JHe  had  also  served  with  reputa- 

*  Orderly  Book?. 


188  BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

tion  in  the  war  of  175b,  was  a  lieutenant  col 
onel  at  the  storming  of  Ticonderoga,  under 
General  A.bercrombie,  and  soon  after  com 
manded  the  regiment.  He  had  also  been  a 
colonel  in  tho  militia,  an  office  fiom  which 
Governor  Hutchinson  relieved  him  on  account 
of  his  being  too  true  a  patriot. 

General  Thomas  received  the  appointment 
of  lieutenant  general  which  he  accepted  on 
the  27th  of  May.  His  superior  talents,  culti 
vated  by  a  liberal  education,  his  gallantry, 
activity  and  vigilance  as  a  soldier,  purity  as  a 
patriot,  and  honor  as  a  man  commanded  the 
entire  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  He 
had  served  in  the  former  war  with  reputation, 
and  had  already  distinguished  himself  in  this. 
Being  in  command  at  Roxbury  with  a  feeble 
force,  General  Gage  had  determined  to  drive 
him  from  that  important  post.  But  his  vigi 
lance  detected  the  design,  and  by  a  ruse  dc 
guerre  he  defeated  it. 

On  the  day  fixed  for  the  attack,  all  liis 
troops  were  paraded,  marching  thrm  roi  nd 
the  hill  on  which  he  was  encamped,  in  \iew 
of  Boston,  and  returning  those  in  front  by  a 
short  rout  again  to  the  rear,  they  wore  the 
appearance  of  a  long  column  ol  troops.  Being 
without  uniform  the  deception  was  perfect, 
and  General  Gage,  alarmed  v\ith  the  show  of 
force,  relinquished  the  enterprise. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         189 

The  veteran  General  Pomeroy  of  North 
ampton  continued  with  the  new  levied  troops 
under  his  old  eoramission,  not  having  yet  re 
ceived  a  new  appointment,  and  assisted  in  or 
ganizing  the  army.  He  was  a  hardy,  intrepid, 
adventurous  soldier,  a  keen  and  celebrated 
hunter,  an  honest,  open  hearted  man.  He 
had  acquired  a  distinguished  reputation  in  the 
war  of  1756,  when  military  fame  was  the  re 
ward  of  individual  prowess  arid  private  enter 
prise,  and  left  the  service  a  laurelled  captain 
of  Provincials.  He  commanded  a  company 
under  Sir  William  Johnson  in  the  celebrated 
engagement  when  the  French  and  Indians, 
under  the  Baron  Dieskau,  were  defeated.  To 
our  captain  the  honor  of  having  slain  the 
baron  was  awarded  over  rival  claims,  and  the 
baron's  watch  was  bestowed  on  him  as  a 
trophy  to  be  transmitted  with  his  fame  to 
posterity.*  He  was  in  fact  the  natural  mili 
tary  chieftain  of  his  neighbourhood,  and  may 
well  be  styled  the  Putnam  of  Connecticut 
River. 

General  Whitcomb  bore  a  close  resem 
blance  in  his  history  and  character  to  General 
Pomeroy.  He  appeared  with  the  militia  at 
Lexington  battle,  but  was  too  advanced  in 
years  for  active  service.  He  received  the  ap- 

*  It  is  yet  retained  in  his  family. 
17 


190        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

pointment  of  major  general  in  the  new  army 
on  the  12th  of  June. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  Joseph  Warren  was 
elected  a  major  general  of  Massachusetts. 
In  his  character  the  heroism  of  antiquity  com 
bined  with  the  romantic  chivalry  of  the  middle 
ages.  An  accomplished  scholar :  gifted  with 
genius  the  most  distinguished,  his  mind  was 
stored  with  the  treasures  of  classic  erudition. 
As  an  orator  a  model ;  elegant  and  impres 
sive,  ardent  and  irresistible  ;  twice  selected  to 
address  his  fellow  citizens,  the  thunder  of  his 
eloquence  severed  the  adamantine  chain  by 
which  nature  bound  them  to  the  mother 
country.  As  a  patriot,  pure  and  without  re 
proach,  his  favorite  maxim  was  "  Decus  et 
decorum  est  pro  patria  mori,"  and  from  pre 
sentiment  he  foresaw  that  this  motto  would 
one  day  be  recorded  in  the  life's  blood  of  a 
heart  as  noble  as  ever  panted  after  immor 
tality.  A  physician  the  most  eminent,  his 
superb  character  soared  far  beyond  the  nar 
row  limits  of  his  profession.  In  person  hand 
some,  in  manners  elegant  and  accomplished, 
he  was  the  favorite  of  the  drawing  room,  and 
qualified  to  shine  in  the  highest  circles  of 
fashion.  But  the  cause  of  liberty,  of  his  coun 
try  and  mankind  summoned  him  to  a  destiny 
by  far  more  exalted.  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  Safety,  and  President  of  the  Provin 
cial  Congress,  he  remembered  that  in  the 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        191 

simplicity  of  ancient  republics,  legislators  the 
most  distinguished  were  also  warriors  the 
most  devoted.  He  accompanied  General  Put 
nam  as  a  volunteer  to  one  of  the  islands, 
where  in  a  warm  engagement  the  enemy  were 
defeated  and  a  vessel  destroyed ;  and  his  head 
had  been  grazed  by  a  ball  from  the  enemy  at 
the  battle  of  Lexington. 

General  Ward's  quarters  were  at  Cam 
bridge,  with  about  eight  thousand  Massachu 
setts  troops,  and  one  thousand  from  Connecti 
cut.  The  latter,  with  Sargent's  Massachusetts 
regiment,  were  under  the  immediate  command 
of  General  Putnam,  in  a  central  and  advanced 
position  near  Inman's  farm,  where  the  enemy 
landed  previous  to  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
Here  some  slight  breastworks  were  thrown 
up.  Another  slight  work  was  erected  near 
the  Charlestown  road,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Cambridge,  where  Colonel  Patterson's  regi 
ment  was  stationed. 

Four  companies  of  artillery  with,  and  one 
without  field  pieces,  were  also  at  Cambridge. 

At  Roxbury,  Lieutenant  General  Thomas 
commanded  about  two  thousand  Massachu 
setts,  two  thousand  Connecticut  and  one  thou 
sand  Rhode  Island  troops,  including  an  artik 
lery  company  with  field  pieces.  These  com 
posed  the  right  wing  of  the  army. 


192  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

At  Medford  about  one  thousand  New 
Hampshire  troops  under  Colonels  Stark  and 
Reed,  formed  the  left  wing  of  the  army. 

These  troops  were  hardy,  brave,  active, 
athletic  and  indefatigable.  Almost  every  sol 
dier  equalled  William  Tell  as  a  marksman, 
and  would  aim  his  weapon  at  an  oppressor 
with  as  keen  a  relish.  Those  from  the  fron 
tier  had  gained  this  address  against  the  sava 
ges  and  beasts  of  the  forest.  The  country 
yet  abounded  with  game,  and  hunting  was 
familiar  to  all ;  and  the  amusement  the  most 
fashionable  and  universal  throughout  New 
England,  was  trials  of  skill  with  the  musket, 

These  troops  were  also  religious,  and  their 
respect  for  the  opinions  of  the  clergy  was 
unbounded.  But  the  religion  of  their  clergy 
was  republican  in  its  nature;  they  had  the 
most  lively  antipathy  to  church  establishments, 
and  dread  of  royal  oppression.  To  avoid  the 
expense  of  chaplains  to  the  army,  the  clergy 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  camp  were  in 
vited  by  Congress  to  perform  divine  service, 
thirteen  of  them,  every  Sabbath;  a  duty  they 
discharged  with  zeal  and  punctuality. 

The  confidence  of  the  army  in  their  officers 
was  as  complete,  as  it  appears  from  the  char 
acters  of  those  described  to  have  been  richly 
merited.  But  beside  these  superior  ofliceri* 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  193 

many  of  the  field  and  commissioned  officers 
arid  privates  had  served  iii  the  army  in  (he 
war  of  17  15  or  of  1756,  and  had  there  reaped 
Weil  deserved  laurels. 

Their  confidence  was  at  present  elevated 
to  an  excess  by  the  recent  and  astonishing 
conquests  which  their  arms  had  accomplished. 
Beside  the  victory  at  Lexington,  and  success 
ful  skirmishes  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Boston, 
they  had  just  learned,  that  Arnold,  who  had 
received  a  colonel's  commission  and  troops 
from  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  Massachu 
setts,  had,  in  alliance  with  other  New  England 
forces,  achieved  the  important  acquisition  of 
Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga.  These  troops 
were  also  sensible  that  they  were  fighting  in 
their  own  cause,  and  were  exalted  into  heroes 
by  a  glorious,  enthusiastic  love  of  liberty,  a 
maddening,  indignant  sense  of  oppression. 
This  indignation  burned  with  new  fury  from 
a  recent  proclamation  of  Governor  Gage,  de 
nouncing  them  all  as  rebels,  and  especially  the 
proscribed  patriots,  Hancock  and  Adams,  their 
abettors,  adherents  and  associates. 

Excepting  these  characteristics,  however, 
they  were  deficient  in  almost  every  important 
requisite  of  an  army.  They  were  wretchedly 
defective  in  arms,  and  the  bayonet  was  al 
most  universally  wanting.  They  were  entirely 
strangers  to  discipline  and  almost  to  subordi- 

17* 


194        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

nation.  They  were  nominally  organized  info 
regiments,  but  these  were  deficient  in  num 
bers,  many  of  them  only  skeletons,  and  their 
respective  ranks  were  not  ascertained.  Some 
of  these  troops  were  yet  serving  as  minute 
men,  and  a  number  of  regiments  had  not  re 
ceived  their  commissions.  Tents  were  not 
provided.  The  commissariat  and  quarter 
master's  department  and  staff  were  yet  unor 
ganized.  The  several  towns  sent  provisions 
to  their  troops  with  profusion,  but  with  ir 
regularity  and  waste. 

Colonel  Gridley  was  appointed  chief,  and 
William  Burbeck  second  engineer,  but  the 
latter  was  attached  to  the  ordnance  depart 
ment,  and  Colonel  Gridley  had  no  engineers 
under  him.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  sup 
ply  this  defect,  and  he  was  himself  almost 
too  advanced  in  years  for  service.  But  if 
military  science,  skill  and  experience  could 
have  overcome  these  difficulties,  there  was 
not  an  officer  in  America  more  capable  of 
accomplishing  it  than  Colonel  Gridley. 

Richard  Gridley,  brother  of  J.  Gridley,  in 
his  day  "  the  giant  of  the  law,"  was  born  in 
Boston,  1711.  Uncommon  genius,  improved 
by  superior  education,  prepared  him  for  an 
elevated  standing.  Most  apt  and  learned  in 
every  branch  of  mathematics,  of  romantic 
honor,  chivalrous  ambition,  and  adventurous 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        195 

bravery,  nature  made  him  a  soldier;  and  it 
was  found  impossible  lor  art  to  make  him  a 
merchant.  The  attempt  was  relinquished, 
and,  like  the  two  principal  heroes  of  the 
American  revolution,  Washington  and  Greene, 
he  employed  himself  as  a  practical  surveyor 
and  civil  engineer. 

After  the  decease  of  his  brother  who  held 
the  office  he  was  elected  Grand  Master  of  the 
fraternity  of  Masons. 

Military  science  he  studied  with  enthusiasm 
and  acquired  with  facility,  and  in  1745  he 
commenced  his  military  career. 

Massachusetts  raised  an  army  of  three 
thousand  two  hundred  men,  New  Hampshire 
added  three  and  Connecticut  five  hundred,  to 
conquer  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton.  In  this 
army  he  received  the  appointment  of  engineer 
and  commander  of  the  artillery.  Under  the 
instruction  of  Bastide,  a  most  distinguished 
engineer,  he  became  at  once  an  adept  in  his 
profession,  and  acquired  like  Archimedes  dis 
tinguished  celebrity  in  the  war  of  sieges. 
With  scientific  accuracy  he  pointed  the  mortar 
which  on  the  third  fire  threw  a  bomb  into  the 
citadel,  one  grand  cause  of  the  subsequent 
surrender  of  Louisbourg  and  conquest  of 
Cape  Breton. 


196        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

He  was  rewarded  by  a  captaincy  in  Gov 
ernor  Shirley's  American  regiment  on  the 
British  establishment.  The  peace  left  him 
on  half  pay,  and  in  1752  he  attended  the 
governor  to  the  Kennebeck,  and  erected  fort* 
Western  and  Halifax. 

Tn  1755  he  again  entered  the  service  as 
chief  engineer  and  colonel  of  infantry.  In  1756 
he  was  commander  of  the  provincial  artille 
ry  under  General  Winslow  in  the  expedition 
against  Crown  Point,  and  proceeded  to  Lake 
George,  where  he  erected  fortifications.  In 
1757  he  sailed  for  Halifax  intended  for  Lou- 
isbourg,  but  the  expedition  was  ai rested  by 
the  French  fleet.  In  1758  he  revisited  his 
earliest  field  of  glory,  and  was  at  the  second 
taking  of  Louisbourg  under  General  Ain- 
herst.  He  had  the  superintendance  of  the 
ordnance  stores,  and  was  so  distinguished  in 
the  siege,  as  were  all  the  New  Ei. gland 
troops,  that  the  general  tendered  him  the 
whole  valuable  furniture  of  the  governor's 
house,  a  present  which  he  with  chivalrous 
delicacy  declined. 

In  1759  General  Amherst  conferred  qp  him 
the  distinguished  honor  of  commanding  the 
artillery  under  the  immortal  Wolfe  at  the 
?iege  of  Quebec. 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  197 

General  Arnherst  found  it  impossible  to 
join  the  expedition  against  Quebec  as  he  in 
tended  ;  notwithstanding  which  the  audacious 
commander,  seconded  by  the  heroic  Gridley 
and  his  other  officers,  determined  to  achieve 
the  conquest  alone.  He  landed  his  army  in 
the  night  under  the  heights  of  Abraham, 
mounted  the  precipice,  and  won  the  glorious 
battle,  in  which  Gridley  proved  himself  wor 
thy  to  fight  by  his  side. 

His  country  acknowledged  his  services  and 
rewarded  them.  The  Magdalen  islands  with 
an  extensive  seal  and  cod  fishery,  arid  half  pay 
as  a  British  officer,  were  conferred  on  him. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  American  re 
volution  his  British  agent,  by  order  of  govern 
ment,  enquired  to  what  party  he  devoted  his 
services.  His  magnanimous  answer  was, u  he 
"  never  drew  his  sword  hut  in  the  cause  of  jus- 
"  tice,  and  such  he  considered  to  be  his  coun- 
"  try's."  His  half  pay  ceased,  and  the  arrears 
already  due  he  had  too  much  spirit  to  receive. 

The  British  army  in  Boston,  at  the  time  of 
Lexington  battle,  were  about  four  thousand 
troops  under  General  Gage,  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts.  He  had  served  with  eclat 
both  in  America  and  Europe,  had  married  an 
American  lady,  was  popular  in  the  country, 
and  disposed  to  moderate  expedients,  until  he 


198  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

sacrificed  his  own  judgment  to  the  advice  of 
violent  partizans. 

By  the  last  of  May  large  reinforcements  ar 
rived,  and  the  whole  consisted  of  the  following 
regiments;  the  fourth,  fifth,  tenth,  fourteenth, 
three  companies  of  the  eighteenth,  twenty 
third,  thirty  fifth,  thirty  eighth,  forty  third, 
forty  seventh,  fifty  second,  fifty  ninth,  sixty 
third,  two  companies  of  the  sixty  fifth,  and 
the  sixty  seventh.  These  amounted  to  about 
ten  thousand  troops  under  Generals  Gage, 
Howe,  Clinton,  Burgoyne,  Pigot,  Grant  and 
Robinson,  Lords  Percy  and  Rawdon,  Colonels 
Abercrombie,  Williams  and  others,  the  most 
distinguished  officers  and  choicest  troops  of 
the  British  empire. 

The  fifty  second,  the  royal  Irish  and  the 
twenty  third  or  Welsh  fusileers,  had  been  the 
most  signalized.  This  last  was  the  Prince  of 
Wales  regiment  in  elegant  uniform  with  a 
strong  national  spirit  and  esprit  de  corps.* 
There  was  also  *a  squadron  of  cavalry,  for 
whose  use  a  house  of  God  was  unwisely  and 
sacrilegiously  assumed. 


*  From  a  tradition  that  a  former  Prince  of  Wales  had 
ridden  from  his  principality  into  England  on  a  goat ;  a 
very  large  one,  with  gilded  horns,  was  always  maintain 
ed  by  the  corps,  and  they  celebrated  the  anniversary  of 
the  feat  by  a  procession,  rejoicing  and  exultation; 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         199 

The  light  infantry  of  the  regiments  were 
encamped  on  the  heights  of  West  Boston, 
facing  Cambridge  ;  a  very  strong  battery  for 
cannon  and  mortars  was  erected  on  Copps 
Hill,  facing  Charlestown,  and  very  strong 
lines  and  batteries  were  formed  across  the 
neck  on  the  side  of  Roxbury. 

The  British  were  equally  sanguine,  and  as 
confident  of  success  as  their  enemy,  for  whom, 
as  soldiers,  they  entertained  a  sovereign  con 
tempt  This  opinion  was  nourished  by  their 
officers  who  had  served  with  those  of  the  Pro 
vincials,  when  they  were  degraded  below  the 
British  officers  of  similar  commissions,  and  the 
generals  were  aliowed  no  rank  with  those  of 
the  mother  country.  They  were  confirmed 
in  the  same  opinion  from  the  ordinary  arms 
and  the  uncouth  dress  of  the  American  troops, 
which  they  had  worn  unchanged  from  the 
plough  or  the  workshop,  and  the  want  of  dis 
cipline  and  subordination  which  signalized 
their  camp. 

They  were  also  enthusiastic  admirers  of 
their  government  and  constitution.  They 
held  the  king  and  parliament  in  religious  vene 
ration,  and  considered  them  as  omnipotent  on 
earth  as  Deity  in  heaven.  They  looked  up 
on  the  Americans  as  foul,  ungrateful  and  un 
natural  rebels,  and  burned  with  indignation  to 
inflict  on  them  exemplary  punishment. 


200        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Their  narrow  quarters  galled  their  pride  ; 
Burgoyne  declared  they  would  have  elbow 
room,  and  General  Gage  proclaimed  his  mor 
tification  u  that  the  Americans  affected  to 
hold  the  British  army  besieged."  Notwith 
standing  the  superior  and  increasing  numbers 
of  the  foe,  they  determined  to  leave  the  town, 
and  take  Charlestown  and  Dorchester  heights. 
The  busy  preparation  had  commenced  to 
possess  themselves  of  the  latter  on  the  eight 
eenth  day  of  June,  but  the  Americans  before 
that  provided  other  occupation  for  their  arms. 

The  Americans  were  impatient  to  be  led 
against  the  enemy.  They  were  unable  to 
appreciate  the  necessity  of  discipline,  or  to 
understand  the  unorganized  situation  of  every 
department  of  the  army;  but  the  hardships 
and  expense  of  service  they  sorely  realized. 
Many  of  the  officers  were  favourable  to  the 
wishes  of  the  men.  They  had  been  used  to 
the  loose  service  of  rangers,  and  could  not 
weigh  the  requisitions  of  a  regular  army. 

General  Putnam,  Colonel  Prescott,  and 
other  veterans,  demanded  that  advantage 
should  be  taken  of  this  disposition  of  the  men, 
and  their  wishes  gratified.  The  utility  of  the 
frequent  and  successful  skirmises  they  had  al 
ready  engaged  in  was  immense.  They  prom 
ised  themselves  still  higher  advantage  from  an 
affair  more  important,  but  short  of  a  general 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         201 

They  know  th:d,  conld  the  en 
emy  be  induced  to  nigage  a  formidable  de 
tachment,  i heir  inferiority  with  the  mi^ket 
would  make  .them  d(epl\  rue  any  advantage 
they  ini^-ht  gain,  \\iiii<;  it  would  convert  our 
army  into  soldiers;  and  these  beneficial  re 
sults  would  be  doubled,  could  the  Americans 
be  covered  ny  entrenchments.  Putnam,  to 
show  his  correct  estimation  of  his  countrymen, 
as  raw  troops,  advanced  his  favorite  maxim, 
*'  the  Americana  are  not  at  all  afraid  of  their 
"  heads,  though  very  much  afraid  of  their 
"legs;  if  you  cover  these  they  will  fight  for- 
u  ever."  Before  the  Council  of  War,  in  con 
tinual  session,  these  arguments  were  under 
consideration. 

The  same  momentous  question  had  been  de 
bated  in  the  Committee  of  Safety.  They  re 
ceived  information,  from  their  secret  emissaries, 
that  the  enemy  intended  to  advance  into  the 
country,  and  possess  themselves  of  the  very 
commanding  heights  of  Charlestown  and 
Dorchester.  The  necessity  of  anticipating 
tbem  in  a  project  so  fatal  to  America  was 
most  solemnly  urged  for  the  purpose  of  pre 
venting  their  advance  into  the  country,  des 
troying  their  shipping,  and  making  the  town 
itself  too  hot  for  tnem. 

But  this  course  was  opposed  by  formidable, 
and  almost  insuperable  difficulties.     The  ar- 
18 


202        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

my  seemed  called  on  to  maintain  a  rigid  de 
fence  till  they  were  better  disciplined  and 
pn  pared  for  battle;  arid  what  was  of  vastly 
more  weight,  they  had  not  gunpowder. 
There  were  eleven  barrels  only  in  the  public 
depots,  and  but  sixty  seven  in  Massachusetts. 
Tiit-se  heights  completely  overlooked  the 
town,  and  it  was  impohsible  for  the  enemy  to 
suifer  the  Americans  to  keep  them  without 
the  most  desperate  efforts,  and  a  general  en- 
gai^ernent.  This  and  the  cannonade  we  should 
be  necessitated  to  support,  to  answer  that  of 
the  enemy,  (for  if  omitted  it  would  betray  our 
secret  impotency  as  to  powder)  were  entirely 
beyond  our  means.  General  Porneroy,  how 
ever,  took  council  of  his  courage,  and  with 
unbounded  confidence  in  the  skill  of  his  coun 
trymen  "  would  fight  the  enemy  with  but  five 
"  cartridges  a  piece.  He  himself  was  practised 
"  in  hunting,  and  always  brought  home  two, 
"  and  sometimes  three  deer,  with  but  three 
"  charges  of  powder.  But  the  men  had  gcn- 
"  erally  supplied  themselves  with  powder  as 
"  militia,  and  the  public  could  easily  make  good 
"  the  deficiency." 

General  Putnam,  to  encourage  discipline 
and  emulation,  and  brave  the  enemy,  marched 
in  face  of  them  with  all  the  troops  from  Cam 
bridge  to  Charlestown,  about  the  I  Oth  day  of 
June.  And  about  the  same  time,  to  support 
the  policy  of  engaging  the  enemy  in  an  affair, 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  203* 

he  attentively  reconnoitred  the  country  with 
Other  officers.  A  position  perfectly  suited  to 
their  purpose,  and  which  does  immortal  honor 
to  their  coup  d'ceil  and  military  skill,  they 
found  in  the  neWs  of  Charles  town.  They  re- 
paired  to  »he  place,  and  with  minute  accuracy 
examined  the  position. 

By  the  direction  of  General  Ward,  Colonel 
Gridley  and  Colonel  Henshaw,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Devens,  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safe 
ty  from  Charlestown,  had  examined  this  part 
of  the  country  in  May,  and  reported  in  favor 
of  fortifying  Prospect  Hill  first,  Bunker  Hill 
next,  and  lastly  Breed's  Hill. 

The  settlement  of  Charlestown  and  the 
fields  are  situated  on  a  peninsula,  with  Charles 
River  on  the  south,  and  Mystic  River  on  the 
north.  It  is  cloven  hundred  yards  across  from 
north  to  south,  and  one  mile  forty  three  rods 
in  length  from  east  to  west,  at  which  extremi 
ty  the  two  rivers  approach  each  other,  and 
form  a  neck  of  land  but  one  hundred  and  thir 
ty  yards  over.  Breed's  Hill  is  long,  the  east 
ern  end  rather  steep,  the  western  sinking 
gradually ;  the  south  side  is  very  steep,  and 
at  the  bottom  of  it  was  Charlestown.  It  is 
sixty  two  feet  in  height.  The  north  is  like 
wise  steep,  and  was  protected  at  the  bottom 
by  a  deep  impassable  slough  ;  beyond  this, 
proceeding  north,  you  cross  a  tongue  of  land 


204  BtriTCER  HILL  BATTLE. 

twenty  feet  in  height  above  Mystic  River,  the 
shore  of  which  terminate*  it  on  the  north  side. 
This  tongue  of  land  runs  east  to  within  two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  Morton's  Hill  and 
parallel  with  Breed's  Hill.  Morton'b  Hill  lies 
northeast  from  Breed's,  and  is  thirty  five  feet 
in  height.  The  ground  between  the  tongue 
of  land  and  Breed's  Hill,  and  beyond  the  east 
ern  end  of  it  and  Morton's  Hill  was  low  and 
marshy.  On  the  driest  parts  of  this  lowland, 
however,  were  a  number  of  brick  kilns.  The 
tongue  of  land  at  its  western  extremity  termi 
nates  in  Bunker  Hill,  which  on  this  side  has  a 
considerable  slope,  and  on  all  its  other  sides  is 
exceedingly  steep.  It  is  one  hundred  and  ten 
feet  high,  bears  northwest  from  Breed's,  and 
the  summits  of  the  two  are  distant  from  each 
other  one  hundred  and  thirty  rods.  By  Bun- 
Jker  Hill  Breed's  is  completely  commanded. 
A  narrow  road  ran  from  the  neck  over  Bunker 
Hill,  between  the  tongue  of  land  and  Breed's 
Hill,  and  entirely  round  Breed's  Hill,  ap 
proaching  very  near  its  summit  on  the  south. 

Even  the  daring  enterprise  of  Warren  hesi 
tated  at  the  accumulated  dangers  and  difficul 
ties,  apparently  insurmountable,  which  oppos 
ed  our  taking  and  maintaining  possession  of 
the  heights  of  Charlcstown.  But  the  Council 
of  War  and  Committee  of  Safety,  of  which  he 
was  chairman,  and  in  which  he  opposed  the 
measure,  adopted  a  different  opinion,  Like  a 


BITNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  205 

genuine  patriot,  his  own  opinion  was  forgot 
ten,  and  he  joined  heart  and  hand  with  his 
brethren  to  command  success. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  June,  the  Committee  of 
Safety  passed  the  following  votes  : 

u  Whereas  this  Committee  lately  applied  to 
"  the  Honourable  the  Congress  of  this  colony, 
u  for  an  augmentation  of  the  army  now  in  the 
44  vicinity  cf  Boston,  and  as  some  circumstan- 
44  ces  have  since  taken  place,  which  strengih- 
44  ened  the  arguments  then  used  in  favor  of  the 
44  said  augmentation ;  particularly  that  many 
44  of  the  then  expected  reinforcements  for  Gen- 
4t  eral  Gage's  army  are  arrived ;  that  General 
44  Gage  has  issued  a  very  extraordinary  pro- 
"  clamation,  in  which  the  inhabitants  of  Mas- 
44  sachusetts  are,  in  the  most  explicit  manner, 
44  declared  rebels;  and  various  accounts  have 
44  been  brought  to  this  Committee  of  the  move- 
44  merit  of  General  Gage's  army,  and  that  he 
44  intends  soon  to  make  another  attempt  to 
44  penetrate  into  the  country  :  From  the  con- 
«4  sideration  of  all  which  premises,  together 
44  with  that  of  our  army,  Resolved,  that  the 
14  good  arid  welfare  of  the  colony  requires  that 
44  there  be  an  immediate  augmentation  of  said 
44  army,  that  such  soldiers  in  the  army  as  be 
"  destitute  of  arms  be  immediately  supped 
44  therewith,  that  such  regiments  of  militia  as 
"  be  destitute  of  officers  be  immediately  tilled 
18* 


206  BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

"  up,  in  such  manner  as  the  Honourable  Con- 
"  grcss  may  direct;  and  that  all  the  militia  ia 
*4  the  colony  be  ordered  to  hold  themselves  in 
44  readiness  to  march,  on  the  shortest  notice, 
"  completely  equipped,  having  thirty  rounds  of 
"cartridges  per  man;  all  which  is  earnestly 
*4  recommended  to  the  immediate  consideration 
44  of  the  Honourable  Congress,  now  sitting  in 
44  Watertown.  To  which  the  Committee  would 
44  beg  leave  to  add  a  general  recommendation 
*'  to  the  people,  to  go  to  meeting  armed  on  the 
44  Lord's  day,  in  order  to  prevent  being  thrown 
44  into  confusion." 

On  the  same  day  they  passed  the  following 
rote,  which,  for  secrecy,  was  not  recorded  un~ 
till  the  19th  of  June: 

"  Whereas  it  appears  of  importance  to  the 
44  safety  of  this  colony  that  possession  of  the 
44  hill  called  Bunker  Hill,  in  Charlestown,  be 
44  securely  kept  and  defended,  and  also  some 
44  one  hill  or  hills  on  Dorchester  Neck  be  like- 
44  wise  secured,  therefore  resolved  unanirnous- 
"  ly,  that  it  be  recommended  to  the  Council  of 
54  War  that  the  above  mentioned  Bunker  Hill 
44  be  maintained  by  sufficient  force  being  post- 
54  ed  there;  and  as  the  particular  situation  of 
"  Dorchester  Neck  is  unknown  to  this  Corn- 
46  mittee,  they  advise  that  the  Council  of  War 
44  take  and  pursue  such  steps  respecting  the 
<;  same,  as  to  them  shall  appear  to  be  for  the 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        207 

"  security  of  this  colony."  On  the  same  day 
it  was  ordered,  u  that  Captain  Benjamin 
"  White  and  Colonel  Joseph  Palmer  be  a 
"  committee  to  join  with  the  committee  from 
"  the  Council  of  War,  to  proceed  to  the  Rox- 
u  bury  camp,  there  to  consult  with  the  genoral 
"  officers  on  matters  of  importance,  and  to 
"  communicate  to  them  a  resolve  this  day 
"  passed,  in  this  Committee,  respecting  Bun- 
"  ker  Hill  in  Charlestown,  and  Dorchester 
"  Neck."  The  Provincial  Congress  prepared 
an  eloquent  and  energetic  answer  to  Governor 
Gage's  proclamation,  to  be  issued  on  the  16th 
of  June,  in  which  Governor  Gage  and  Admi 
ral  Graves  are  excepted  from  the  general  am 
nesty,  to  respond  to  the  proscription  of  Han 
cock  and  Adams;  but  this  paper  contest  was 
forgotten  in  the  bloody  battle  which  ensued. 


THE    BATTLE, 


ON  the  16th  of  June,  1775.  the  approaching 
dog  star  shed  its  influence  over  the  American 
camp.  The  earth  was  parched  up;  but  the 
patriotism  of  the  soldiers  was  more  powerful 
than  the  sun,  and  their  well  strung  nerves 
were  proof  against  its  enervating  influence. 

With  the  advice  of  the  Council  of  War, 
General  Ward  issued  orders  to  Colonel  Wil 
liam  Prescott,  to  the  commander  of  Colonel 
F  rye's  regiment,  and  Colonel  Bridge,  to  be 
prepared  for  an  expedition,  with  all  their  men 
fit  for  service,  and  one  day's  provisions.  The 
same  order  issued  for  one  hundred  arid  twenty 
of  General  Putnam's  regiment,  and  one  com 
pany  of  artillery  with  two  field  pieces. 

With  these  troops  Colonel  Prescott  was  or 
dered  to  proceed  to  Charlestowri  in  the  even 
ing,  take  possession  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  erect 
the  requisite  fortifications  to  defend  it.  .His 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  209 

orders  were  to  be  kept  profoundly  secret. and 
provisions  and  refreshments  were  to  ho  s'.-nt 
in  the  morning,  with  as  many  more  troops  as 
should  be  necebsary  to  reinforce  him. 

Not  an  officer  in  the  army  could  have  been 
selected  more  worthy  the  honor,  or  more  ad 
equate  to  the  arduous  undertaking  than  Col 
onel  Prescott.  In  this  veteran,  ago  already 
began  to  display  its  ravages :  but  the  fire  of 
his  youth  was  undamped.  He  was  of  Pepper- 
ell.  arid  was  early  left  in  affluence  bv  the  de 
cease  of  his  father.  He  soon  received  a  com 
mission  in  the  provincial  army,  and,  with  ma 
ny  of  his  neighbourhood  who  enlisted,  he 
joined  the  forces  under  General  Window*  and 
assisted  in  the  conquest  of  Nova  Scotia.  His 
military  talents  attracted  instant  admiration, 
and  he  was  urged  by  the  British  officers  to 
accept  a  commission  in  the  royal  army.  At 
tachment  to  his  brave  soldiers  and  country 
men^  however,  did  not  permit  him  to  separate 
himself  from  them,  and  he  returned  to  his  es 
tate.  The  soldiers  who  had  served  under 
him  still  considered  him  their  head.  Like 
the  chief  of  some  feudal  clan,  he  received  them 
all  with  open  doors  at  his  hospitable  mansion. 
In  the  habits  he  had  acquired  in  camps  his 
property  was  expended  for  their  relief,  com 
fort  or  entertainment,  as  freely  as  they  were 
ready  on  every  occasion  to  shed  their  blood 
for  his  honor,  and  under  his  command. 


21 6  BUNKER  HILL   BATTLE. 

His  figure  was  tall  and  commanding,  and  his 
countenance  grave,  ardent  and  impressive  as 
his  character.  With  this  presence,  and  his 
lung  and  formidable  sword,  he  needed  no 
uniform  to  distinguish  him  as  a  leader.  In  a 
simple  calico  frock  he  headed  the  detachment 
of  about  one  thousand  men,  who  left  camp  at 
dark,  and  proceeded  to  Charlestown.  Colonel 
Prescott  led  the  way,  with  two  sergeants,  hav 
ing  dark  lanterns  open  only  to  the  rear,  about 
six  paces  in  front  of  the  troops. 

General  Putnam  having  the  general  super-' 
intendance  of  the  expedition,  and  the  chief 
engineer,  Colonel  Gndiey,  accompanied  the 
troops. 

Profound  mystery  hung  over  the  object  of 
the  expedition  till  they  crossed  Charlestown 
Neck  and  found  the  waggons  loaded  with 
intrenching  tools. 

The  officers  were  hastening  to  order  the 
arms  to  be  stacked,  and  fortifications  com 
menced,  when  a  most  serious  confusion  arose 
as  to  the  construction  of  their  orders,  and  the 
point  t'>  be  fortified.  None  of  the  hills  ex 
cept  Bunker  had  yet  heen  distinguished  by 
name.  And  though  this  was  the  most  com 
manding  and  most  defensible  position,  it  was 
too  far  from  the  enemy  to  annoy  their  army 
and  shipping.  This  hill  Fcemed  specified 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        211 

•nly  by  mistake,  and  Breed's  Hill  was  far 
bettor  adapted  to  the  important  objects  of  the 
expedition,  and  better  suited  the  adventurous 
spirit  of  the  commanding  officers.  Their  most 
invaluable  moments  were  wasted  without 
coming  to  a  conclusion,  though  the  wary  and 
scientific  engineer  again  and  again  urged  them 
to  determine  at  once  on  the  ground,  or  it 
would  be  impossible  to  complete  the  requisite 
fortifications. 

Breed's  Hill  was  at  length  concluded  on,  and 
Colonel  Gridley  immediately  laid  out  the  works 
upon  it  with  a  genius  and  skill  which  would 
have  honored  any  engineer  in  the  highest 
advance  of  military  science.  The  redoubt  on 
the  summit  of  the  hill  was  about  eight  rods 
square.  The  strongest  side,  on  front,  in  the 
form  of  a  redan,  faced  Charlestown,  and  pro 
tected  the  south  side  of  the  hill.  The  eastern 
side  commanded  a  very  extensive  field,  and 
in  a  line  with  this,  running  north  down  the 
side  of  the  hill  to  the  impassable  slough,  was 
formed  a  breastwork,  which,  at  the  southern 
extremity,  was  separated  from  the  redoubt 
by  a  narrow  passage  way  or  sally  port,  pro 
tected  in  front  by  a  blind.  In  the  rear  of  the 
redoubt  was  a  passage  or  gate  way  opening 
toward  the  slough. 

The  works  marked  out,  tools  were  distrib 
uted  to  the  men  ;  but  midnight  arrived  before 


212         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

the  first  snade  entered  ^he  ground.  These 
brawny  ye o men  were  '  literally,  however, 
working  for  t>i?:i.:  lives  as  well  as  their  liber 
ties,  and  performed  prodigies  of  labour.  They 
were  instructed  and  stimulated  by  General 
Putnam,  Colonel  Prescotu  and  other  officers, 
amonLC  whom  was  Majoi  Brooks,  distinguish 
ed  by  the  well  deserved  confidence  of  the  ar 
my.  Just  entered  on  manhood  he  relinquish 
ed  a  lucrative  profession  at  the  call  of  his 
country.  Commanding  a  battalion  of  minute 
men,  he  commenced  his  military  career  at  the 
battle  of  Lexington  and  received  the  same 
rank  in  the  army.  He  was  imperatively  call 
ed  home,  by  dangerous  sickness  in  his  family, 
and  received  no  order  to  march  with  his  regi 
ment.  But  the  danger  of  his  fellow  soldiers 
was  a  sufficient  summons,  and  he  hastened  to 
join  his  corps,  which  he  overtook  at  the  neck. 

There  was  an  unobscured  starlight,  and 
the  movements  of  the  neighbouring  enemy 
demanded  observation.  Colonel  Prescott  pro 
ceeded  with  Major  Brooks  to  the  shore  to 
reconnoitre  them.  Every  thing  was  quiet; 
they  distinctly  heard  the  enemy  relieving 
guard,  and  were  rejoiced  at  the  welcome 
cry  from  the  centries,  however  unfounded, 
«  All's  well !" 

The  men  quietly  at  their  labours,  General 
Putnam  in  the  morning  repaired  to  his  camp, 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        213 

to  prepare  for  the  anticipated  crisis,  and  to  be 
mounted  afresh,  for  his  gait  over  horseneck 
was  not  more  expeditious  than  his  ordinary 
riding,  and  his  horse  required  to  be  relieved. 

Watchful  as  Argus,  Prescott  could  hardly 
conjecture  that  the  enemy  were  so  negligent 
of  military  caution,  as  to  suffer  his  powerful 
force  to  approach  their  very  threshold  un 
observed.  He  advanced  anew  to  examine 
their  situation  ;  again  all  was  quiet. 

But  the  blazing  sun  began  his  approaches, 
and  the  grey  of  the  morning  was  dissipated. 
The  veil  was  lifted  from  the  astonished  eyes 
of  the  British;  but  they  would  hardly  credit 
their  senses  on  perceiving  thf  ir  daring  enemy 
above  them,  overlooking  their  whole  position, 
with  formidable  entrenchments,  which  had 
sprung  up  as  by  enchantment.  The  cannon  of 
the  Lively  opened  on  the  Americans  and 
roused  their  countrymen  from  secure  repose, 
to  participate  in  the  same  surprise  and  as 
tonishment. 

General  Gage  was  thunderstruck  at  the 
unwelcome  information,  and  sent  an  imme 
diate  summons  to  his  officers  to  meet  him  in 
a  council  of  war. 

Some  other  frigates,  floating  batteries,  the 
Somerset  line    of  battle   ship,  a   formidable 
19 


214         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

battery  of  the  heaviest  pieces,  and  a  mortar 
on  Copps  Hill,  opened  a  tremendous  fire  on 
the  Americans,  sufficient  to  appal  even  vete 
ran  troops. 

This  fire  was  some  time  without  effect,  but 
the  men  venturing  in  front  of  the  works,  one 
of  them  was  killed  by  a  cannon  shot.  A 
subaltern  officer  acquainted  Colonel  Prescott, 
and  asked  what  should  be  done.  "  Bury 
"  him."  "  What,"  said  the  green  astonished 
officer,  "without  prayers  !"  A  chaplain,  who 
was  present,  insisted  on  performing  service 
over  this  first  victim,  and  collected  many  of 
the  soldiers  around  him,  heedless  of  peril. 
Prescott  ordered  them  to  disperse ;  but  reli 
gious  enthusiasm  prevailed,  and  the  chaplain 
again  collected  his  congregation  in  the  midst 
of  the  enemy's  fire,  when  the  deceased  was 
ordered  to  be  taken  and  buried  in  the  ditch. 

To  dispel  the  terror  which  this  event  ex 
cited,  Prescott  mounted  on  the  works,  and 
directed  the  labor.  Heedless  of  all  the  fire 
of  the  enemy,  he  was  wrought  up  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  and  transferred 
his  own  exaltation  into  every  private  under 
him.  From  oppressive  heat,  and  the  vehe 
mence  of  his  address,  his  false  hair  was 
thrown  off,  and  waving  his  sword,  he  some 
times  upbraided  his  men  in  anger,  and  some 
times  encouraged  them  with  approbation,  or 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        215 

amused  them  with  humour.  Perfectly  under 
standing  his  countnmen,  he  was  complete 
master  of  their  souls.  Not  the  great  Su- 
\varrow  himself  was  ever  more  negligent  of 
appearance,  or  ever  inspired  his  faithful  fol 
lowers  with  a  confidence  more  entire  or  more 
deserved. 

General  Gage  was  reconnoitring  the  ene 
my.  He  handed  the  telescope  to  Willard,  a 
mandamus  counsellor,  and  inquired,  u  who  is 
"  that  officer  commanding  ?"  He  instantly  re 
cognized  his  brother-in-taw,  Colonel  Prcscott. 
"Will  he  fight?"  asked  Gage.  "  Yes,  sir, 
"  depend  upon  it,  to  the  last  drop  of  blood  in 
"  him,  but  I  cannot  answer  for  his  men,"  wa& 
the  reply. 

The  sufferings  of  the  men  were  great;  the 
heat  was  excessive;  during  a  sleepless  night 
they  had  unremittedly  labored,  without  even 
water,  and  their  small  stock  of  provisions  was 
exhausted.  Their  officers  felt  for  them,  and 
wished  Colonel  Prescott  to  send  to  Cambridge 
a  request  to  be  relieved.  He  called  a  coun 
cil,  but  instantly  crushed  the  slighest  hope  of 
a  relief.  "  The  enemy  would  not  dare  attack 
44  them,  and  if  they  did  would  be  defeated, 
44  The  men  who  had  raised  the  works  were 
"  the  best  qualified  to  defend  them.  They 
"  had  already  learned  to  despise  the  fire  of 


216  BUNKfcR    HILL    BATTLE. 

"  the  enemy  They  had  the  merit  of  the  la- 
"  bor,  and  should  enjoy  the  honor  of  the  vic- 
ft  tory."  With  renewed  ardor  the  men  con 
tinued  their  labors. 

Captain  Nutting  with  his  company,  and 
Captain  Walker  with  a  small  detachment,* 
were  ordered  into  Charlestown,  near  the  fer 
ry,  by  Colonel  Prescott,  to  observe  the  ene 
my's  movements. 

General  Gage  met  his  officers  in  council. 
They  did  not  hesitate  as  to  the  indispensable 
necessity  of  driving  the  enemy  from  their  for 
midable  position,  out  found  it  impossible  to 
agree  on  the  mode  of  attack.  General  Clin 
ton  and  General  Grantt  advocated  attacking 
the  enemy  in  rear.  "  Their  men  could 
"  embark  at  the  bottom  of  the  common  in 
"  boats,  land  at  Charlestown  Neck,  under 
Cb  protection  of  a  fire  from  the  floating  batte- 
"  lies  and  frigates,  and  would  have  the  enemy 
<4  in  their  power;"  and  this  appeared  to  be 
the  prevailing  opinion.  But  General  Gage 
would  not  adopt  a  measure  so  adventurous. 
ft  was  opposed  to  every  well  founded  military 

*  Tliis  doubtless  gave  rise  to  Gordon's  statement,  that 
i\Vo  regiments  were  in  Charlestown. 

t  Declaration  of  General  Grant  in  presence  of  Mr. 
Totton,  now  living. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        217 

rule,  and  was  in  fact  contrary  to  the  dictates 
of  prudence.  They  would  expose  themselves 
between  two  armies,  one  of  them  superior  to 
their  own  in  numbers,  and  the  other  strongly 
posted  and  foi  tified  ;  they  would  be  attacked 
in  front  and  rear,  and  in  fact  completely  sur 
rounded,  without  the  possibility  of  a  retreat 
being  secured  to  them  in  case  of  disaster.  It 
was  therefore  determined  to  land  and  attack 
the  enemy  in  front. 

At  daybreak  General  Putnam  ordered  Lieu 
tenant  Clark  to  send  and  request  of  General 
Ward  a  horse  for  him  to  ride  to  Bunker  Hill. 
The  lieutenant  went  himself,  but  the  gene 
ral's  impatience  could  not  await  an  answer. 
On  his  return  he  found  him  mounted  and  de 
parting. 

The  result  of  Genera]  Gage's  council  of 
war  soon  became  apparent.  The  enemy  were 
observed  moving  with  rapidity  through  the 
streets  of  Boston ;  a  corps  of  dragoons  ma 
noeuvring  within  view  of  the  Americans  sud 
denly  galloped  off  tho  ground ;  the  rattling  of 
artillery  carriages  and  waggons  was  heard, 
and  every  note  of  preparation  for  a  military 
movement.  Prescott  then  believed  the  enemy 
would  hazard  an  attack  and  was  in  ecstasy. 
"  Now.  my  boys,  we  shall  have  a  fight,  and 
"shall  beat  them  too,"  he  observed.  Fearless 


218        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE, 

himself  he  thought  the  world  so  too,  and  his 
confidence  was  too  implicit  in  the  raw  troops 
and  inexperienced  commanders  collecting,  for 
as  an  army  they  can  hardly  be  said  to  have 
collected,  at  Cambridge.  It  was  nine  o'clock; 
provisions  and  drink  had  been  requested  from 
General  Ward,  but  none  had  arrived,  nor  any 
troops  to  replace  those  at  the  entrenchments. 
Colonel  Prescott  called  another  council  of 
war;  again  he  refused  to  hear  a  word  as  to 
displacing  his  men,  but  consented  to  send  to 
General  Ward  for  refreshments  and  reinforce 
ments. 

Major  Brooks  was  selected  to  proceed  to 
Cambridge  and  wait  on  General  Ward  for  this 
purpose.  For  greater  expedition  he  was  di 
rected  to  take  one  of  the  artillery  horses,  but 
the  order  was  vehemently  opposed  by  Captain 
Gridiey,  who  feared  for  the  safety  of  his 
pieces  if  a  single  horse  was  taken  from  him. 
Fresco  tt  then  directed  him  to  proceed  on  loot 
with  as  much  despatch  as  possible.  He  arriv 
ed  at  head  quarters  about  ten,  and  delivered 
his  instructions  to  General  Ward.  The  gen 
eral  hesitated  as  to  the  policy  of  sending  re 
inforcements  to  Charlestown,  and  doubted 
whether  the  real  intention  of  the  enemy  was 
to  make  his  attack  on  that  point.  At  Cam 
bridge  and  Watertown  were  the  scanty  depots 
of  ammunition,  ordnance  stores  and  materiel 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  219 

of  every  species  belonging  to  the  army.  On 
these  the  salvation  of  the  country  seemed  to 
depend,  and  he  presumed  the  enemy  intended 
to  seize  the  present  opportunity,  to  make  an 
attack  on  head  quarters,  and  gain  possession 
of  the  depots. 

The  Committee  of  Safety  was  then  in  ses 
sion  in  the  very  house  in  which  the  general 
chartered,  and  to  them  he  communicated  the 
information  and  request,  brought  by  Major 
Brooks.  Richard  Devens,  one  of  the  mem 
bers,  was  of  Charlestovvn.  His  anxiety  that 
his  estate  and  native  town  should  be  protect 
ed  from  the  inroad  of  the  enemy,  amounted 
almost  to  phrenzy;  his  importunity  with  the 
general  and  the  committee  to  have  ample  re 
inforcements  sent  to  Colonel  Prescott  was 
equally  vehement  and  impassioned.  The  com 
mittee  recommended  sending  reinforcements, 
and  the  general  consented  that  orders  should 

fo  to  the  New  Hampshire  troops,  stationed  at 
ledford,  to  proceed  to  Charlestown  and   re 
inforce    Colonel    Prescott,   arid    these   ord  rs 
were  immediately  sent   to  Colonel  Stark  and 
Colonel  Reed. 


General  Warren,  the  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  Safety  was  present.  The  day  be 
fore  he  had  officiated  as  President  of  the  Con 
gress  at  Watertown,  and  had  passed  the  night 


220         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

there,  engaged  in  the  accumulated  concerns  of 
the  public.  His  friend,  Honorable  Elbridge 
Gerry,  had  learned  the  determination  to  take 
and  fortify  Bunker  Hill.  He  remonstrated 
with  him  agaiiistthe  glaring  imprudence  of  the 
measure,  with  our  defective  means.  "We 
<;  had  not  powder  to  maintain  the  desperate 
64  conflict  which  must  ensue,  and  should  all  be 
"  cut  to  pieces."  General  Warren  confessed 
he  entertained  the  same  opinion;  but  it  was  de 
termined  otherwise,  and  he  was  resolved  to 
share  the  fate  of  his  countrymen.  His  friend 
conjured  him  not  to  expose  his  invaluable  life 
where  his  destruction  would  be  useless  and 
inevitable.  "  I  know  it,"  said  the  hero,  "  but  I 
"live  within  sound  of  the  cannon,  and  should 
"  die  were  I  to  remain  at  home  while  my  fel- 
"  low  citizens  are  shedding  their  blood  for  me 
"and  my  country."  He  arrived  at  Cambridge 
by  daylight,  complained  of  headache  and  threw 
himself  on  the  bed.  On  receiving  information 
that  the  enemy  were  coming  out,  General 
Ward  sent  to  notify  him.  He  jumped  from 
his  bed,  declared  "  his  headache  was  gone 
"  then,"  and  after  meeting  with  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  mounted  his  horse,  and  with  his  fu 
sil  and  sword  repaired  to  the  post  of  danger. 
He  joined  General  Putnam,  and  they  consult 
ed  on  measures  to  be  pursued.  General  Put 
nam  informed  him  that  "  from  long  experience 
"  he  perfectly  comprehended  the  character  of 
"  the  British  army ;  they  would  ultimately  sue- 


BUNKER  FULL  BATTLE.        221 

"reed  and  drive  us  from  the  works,  but  from 
"the  mode  of  attack  they  hud  chosen,  it  was 
u  in  our  power  to  do  them  infinite  mischief, 
"  though  we  must  be  prepared  for  a  brave  and 
14  orderly  retreat,  when  we  could  maintain  our 
"ground  no  longer."  Warren  expressed  his 
full  assent  to  these  opinions  and  agreed  to  be 
go\erned  by  them. 

At  eleven  the  New  Hampshire  troops  re 
ceived  orders  from  Cambridge.  About  fifteen 
charges  of  loose  powder  and  balls  were  dis 
tributed  to  each,  and  they  were  directed  to 
form  these  into  cartridges  immediately.  Few 
of  the  men,  however,  possessed  cartridge  box 
es,  but  employed  only  powder  horns ;  and 
scarcely  two  of  their  guns  agreeing  in  calibre, 
they  were  obliged  to  alter  the  balls  accord 
ingly. 

At  the  long  wharf,  in  Boston,  four  battalions 
of  British  infantry,  ten  companies  of  grena 
diers,  and  ten  of  light  infantry,  were  embark 
ed  in  boats.  Some  of  these  were  taken  from 
transports,  and  had  never  disembarked  since 
their  voyage.  They  were  now  to  land,  not 
like  Antasus,  to  gain  new  strength  from  the 
earth,  but  to  shed  their  lile's  blood  on  her 
bosom. 

About  one  o'clock  a  large  portion  of  these 
troops,  together  with  six  pieces  of  cannon  and 


222        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

howitzers,  landed  at  Morton's  Point.  Here 
they  immediately  discovered  a  most  disastrous 
mistake ;  the  cartridges  sent  for  the  use  of  the 
artillery  were  too  large  for  the  pieces.  They 
were  immediately  sent  back,  and  a  new  sup 
ply  obtained.  At  the  same  time  General 
Howe,  the  commander  of  the  forces,  discover 
ing  on  his  near  approach  the  formidable  na 
ture  of  the  enemy's  position,  requested  rein 
forcements  from  General  Gage.  About  two 
o'clock  the  remainder  of  the  forces  leave 
Winnisimit  Ferry  and  land  at  Morton's  -Point ; 
and  soon  after  the  reinforcements,  the  forty 
seventh  battalion,  a  battalion  of  marines,  ex 
cept  a  few  of  this  corps  who  were  preparing 
to  embark,  a  few  companies  of  grenadiers  and 
light  infantry,  land  under  the  eastern  end  of 
Breed's  Hill,  at  Madlin's  shipyard.  All  these 
troops  cannot  be  estimated  at  less  than  five 
thousand ;  if  the  corps  were  but  half  full  there 
were  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty. 
While  the  enemy  were  landing  General  Put 
nam  ordered  Captain  Knowlton,  with  the 
Connecticut  troops,  to  take  post  behind  a  rail 
fence,  which  ran  across  the  tongue  of  land, 
from  the  road  to  Mystic  River,  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  In  front  of  this 
whole  line  of  fence  was  a  thick  orchard,  and 
another,  more  spare,  in  the  rear.  These 
troops  pulled  up  the  neighbouring  fences,  and 
placing  them  near  the  one  at  which  they  were 
posted,  threw  in  the  new  mown  grass  between. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        223 

Few  of  the  fields,  however,  were  mown,  and 
this  cover  was  a  mere  shadow  of  a  defence. 

This  fence  was  one  hundred  and  ninety 
yards  in  rear  of  the  breastwork,  and  eighty 
yards  in  rear  of  the  head  or  western  end  of 
the  slough,  leaving  a  very  extensive  opening 
between  the  breastwork  and  rail  fence,  by 
which  the  left  flank  of  the  breastwork,  and 
troops  resting  on  the  slough,  were  entirely 
exposed  to  cannon  shot;  and  a  considerable 
space,  one  hundred  yards  diagonally,  between 
the  slough  and  the  rail  fence,  was  open  to  the 
advance  of  infantry.  This  was  the  weak 
point  arid  the  very  key  of  the  American  posi 
tion. 

The  detachments  in  Charlestown  were  now 
recalled  by  Colonel  Prescott,  and  took  post 
at  a  narrow  cart  way,  which  ran  from  the 
southeastern  angle  of  the  redoubt,  directly 
south,  to  the  narrow  way  round  the  hill. 
They  placed  the  fences  together,  and  threw 
in  grass,  as  was  done  on  the  left. 

The  thundering  cannonade  of  the  enemy 
soon  spread  the  information  of  an  approaching 
engagement.  The  American  citizens  in  the 
neighbourhood  flocked  to  the  scene,  and  the 
soldiers  voluntarily  ran  to  arms,  and  entreat 
ed  to  be  led  against  the  foe.  Colonel  Little's 
regiment  had  just  arrived  from  Essex  and 


224        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

were  not  even  commissioned.  Awaiting  no 
orders,  they  left  their  quarters  in  West  Cam 
bridge,  marched  to  General  Ward  and  tender 
ed  their  services. 

The  Connecticut  troops  were  equally  anx 
ious  to  join  their  general  ;  they  were  all  un 
der  arms,  and  sent  to  head  quarters  for  orders. 
But  General  Ward  informed  them  they  had 
already  the  post  of  honor,  for  the  Biitisli 
were  expected  to  land  at  Inman's  farm  their 
present  position. 

For  greater  caution  Colonel  Gardner's  re 
giment,  and  one  or  two  others,  were  marched 
halfway  toCharlestown  there  to  wait  further 
orders.  But  the  enemy's  intentions  were  now 
clearly  pronounced,  by  their  preparation  to 
land  at  Charlestown.  Orders  were  in  haste 
despatched  to  a  number  of  infantry  regiments 
— Captain  Cal lender's  company  and  Major 
Grid  ley's  battalion  of  artillery,  to  proceed  in* 
stantlv  toCharlestown  to  reinforce  their  coun 
trymen. 

Colonel  Prescott  had  stretched  the  endur 
ance  and  exertions  of  his  detachment  to  the 
utmost  of  the  hum-in  constitution  They  had 
thrown  up  a  defence  good  against  muskets, 
and  most  of  it  ag^in-t  a-  tillery.  But  the  com 
manding  summit  of  Bunker  HilU  of  vitil  impor 
tance  to  them  in  case  of  retreat,  was  not  yet 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        225 

fortified.  Putnam  was  anxious  and  mortified 
that  a  post,  on  which  his  defence  and  reputa 
tion  so  materially  depended,  should  be  entire 
ly  neglected.  His  mother  wit,  cultivated  in 
the  school  of  experience,  under  British  officers, 
the  most  distinguished  masters  of  the  day,  per 
fectly  comprehended  the  immense  importance 
of  entrenching.  He  seemed  to  have  intuitive 
ly  seized  the  maxims  of  Caesar's  learned  cam 
paigns,  as  well  as  to  anticipate  the  scientific 
results  of  such  modern  defences  as  General 
Jackson's.  He  ordered  the  entrenching  tools 
to  be  carried  by  a  large  detachment  to  the 
rear. 

The  first  division  of  the  enemy  awaiting  the 
remainder  of  the  detachment,  which  had  not 
yet  embarked,  were  quietly  dining,  and  most 
of  them  for  the  last  time,  from  their  crowded 
and  cumbrous  knapsacks. 

General  Putnam  seized  the  opportunity  of 
hastening  to  Cambridge,  whence  he  returned 
with  the  reinforcements.  He  had  to  pass  a 
galling  enfilading  fire  of  round,  bar  and  chain 
shot,  which  thundered  across  the  rierk  from 
the  Glasgow  frigate  in  the  channel  of  Charles 
River,  and  two  floating  batteries  hauled  close 
to  the  shore. 

And  now  the  brave  Stark  arrived  with  his 
regiment.     General  Putnam  reserved  a  part 
20 


226  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

of  it,  to  throw  up  a  work  on  Bunker  Hill,  and 
ordered  him  to  press  on  to  the  lines  as  quick 
as  possible,  with  the  remainder.  They  pro 
ceeded  with  the  other  New  Hampshire  regi 
ment  under  Colonel  Reed,  arid  joined  the 
Connecticut  troops  at  the  rail  fence. 

About  five  thousand  British  troops,  and  a 
new  supply  of  artillery  ammunition,  had  land 
ed.  Major  General  Howe  was  their  com 
mander,  a  distinguished  soldier,  and  like  all  his 
family,  of  undaunted  bravery  ;  under  him  was 
Gener  tl  Pigot,  and  the  othfr  renowned  chiefs 
were,  Colonels  Nesbit,  Abercrombie,  Clarke, 
Majors  Butler,  Williams,  Bruce,  Spendlove, 
Smelt,  Mitchell,  Pitcairn,  Short,  Small,  Lords 
Percy  and  Ravvdon.  The  troops  were  in 
columns,  waiting  the  signal  to  advance.  They 
and  their  enemy  opposed  to  them  were  in  a 
vast  amphitheatre,  formed  by  elevated  heights 
which  rise  from  Boston  Bay,  surrounding  them 
on  every  other  side  at  the  distance  only  of  a 
few  miles.  These  heights  were  covered  with 
Americans,  who  had  been  brought  from  a  dis 
tance,  by  anxious  curiosity,  to  witness  a  scene 
so  sublime,  and  learn  the  event  of  a  contest, 
on  which  the  fate  of  a  new  world  depended; 
and  many  of  them  to  witness  the  fate  of  a  par 
ent,  brother  or  husband  engaged.  The  heights 
and  the  steeples  in  Boston  were  similarly 
crowded  by  the  inhabitants  and  British  sol 
diers.  And  many  a  soldier's  wife  witnessed 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        227 

the  events,  with  a  melancholy  foreboding  that 
she  was  left  a  widow,  and  her  home  three 
thousand  miles  across  the  ocean. 

A  tremendous  cannonade  from  Boston  open 
ed  on  the  camp  at  Roxbury,  to  contain  the 
Americana  who  were  there  under  arms.  It 
added  to  the  continued  roar  of  the  batteries 

and  shipping  against  Charlestown,  and  the  hat- 

rr      *5    £>     .  . 

tie  was  commencing.  It  was  indeed  a  scene 
interesting  beyond  the  reach  of  human  imagi 
nation. 

The  field  artillery  opened  on  the  works  ;  it 
•was  the  signal  to  advance.  The  Americans 

O 

faintly  responded  with  their  two  small  pieces. 
They  had  fired  a  few  useless  shot  at  Copps 
Hill,  but  there  were  no  embrasures  in  the  im 
perfect  redoubt ;  their  slight  platform  was 
broken,  and  the  artillery  cartridges  were  re 
served. 

The  drums  beat  to  arms.  Putnam  left  his 
works,  commenced  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  led 
the  troops  into  action. 

Little's  regiment  arrived  ;  he  ordered  them 
to  their  posts.  Captain  Warner's  company 
advanced  to  the  rail  fence  on  the  right  of  the 
redoubt,  Captain  Perkins'  to  the  exposed  po-r 
sition  between  the  breastwork  and  rail  fencq 
on  the  left,  and  the  remainder  found  their 


228  BUNKfeR  HILL  BATTLE. 

places  in  the  line.  Colonel  Jonathan  Brewer, 
with  Ins  regiment,  and  Captain  Callender, 
with  his  artillery,  also  arrived. 

The  veteran  General  Pomeroy  heard  the 
pealing  artillery,  which  seemed  to  invite  him 
to  battle;  he  was  a  soldier  too  brave,  and  a 
patriot  too  ardent,  to  resist  a  summons  so 
agreeable.  He  requested  a  hoise  of  General 
Ward,  to  carry  him  to  the  field;  delighted  at 
an  aid  so  important,  it  was  instantly  supplied. 
With  his  musket  and  cartridges  he  repaired  to 
the  neck;  inquiring  of  a  sentry  posted  there, 
ana  viewing  the  ground  and  the  tremendous  fire 
across,  he  was  alarmed  not  for  himself,  but  for 
the  horse  he  had  borrowed ;  he  delivered  him 
to  the  sentry,  and  coolly  marched  across.  He 
advanced  to  the  rail  fence  at  the  left.  His  ap 
proach  gave  new  confidence  to  the  men ;  they 
received  him  with  the  highest  exultation,  and 
the  name  of  General  Pomeroy  rang  through 
the  line.  In  early  life  he  had  been  an  ingeni 
ous  mechanic,  and  many  a  soldier  was  sup 
plied  with  arms  of  his  manufacture.  Had 
Vulcan  himself  supplied  the  Grecians  with  his 
celestial  armor,  and  appeared  in  their  ranks, 
they  would  not  have  been  more  certain  of 
victory. 

General  Warren  took  post  at  the  redoubt. 
Colonel  Prescott  offered  him  the  command, 
but  he  had  not  yet  received  his  commission, 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  229 

and  tendered  the  colonel  his  assistance  as  a 
volunteer ;"  he  was  happy  to  learn  service 
"  from  a  soldier  of  experience/' 

The  columns  of  the  enemy  were  advancing 
slowly,  and  halted  at  intervals,  to  give  the  ar 
tillery  an  opportunity  to  render  a  passage  over 
the  works  practicable.  General  Howe,  re 
markably  tall,  and  a  prominent  mark,  advanc 
ed  two  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  troops 
to  reconnoitre. 

The  fifth  regiment,  one  of  grenadiers,  and 
another  of  light  infantry,  move  under  cover  of 
the  tongue  of  land,  at  the  foot  of  it  display,, 
and  advance  in  front  to  the  rail  fence;  except 
nine  of  the  light  companies,  who  move  by 
the  right  flank  on  the  shore  of  Mystic  River 
to  turn  the  American  left.  This  attack  was 
led  by  General  Howe. 

The  fifty  second  regiment,  thirty  eighth, 
thirty  fifth,  forty  seventh,  three  grenadier  anci 
three  light  companies,  and  the  marines*  under 
cover  of  Breed's  Hill,  display,  and  are  led  by 
General  Pigot  against  the  redoubt  and  breast 
work. 

The   lines   advanced   and   scon   opened  to- 
view.     The  American  marksmen  are  with  dif 
ficulty  restrained  from   firing.     General    Put 
nam  rode  through  the   line,"and  ordered  that* 
2Q* 


230   ,      BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

no  one  should  fire  till  they  arrived  within  eight 
rods,  nor  any  one  till  commanded.  "Powder 
"  was  scarce  and  must  not  be  wasted.  They 
"  should  not  fire  at  the  enemy  till  they  saw 
"  the  white  of  their  eyes,  and  then  fire  low, 
"  take  aim  at  their  waistbands.  They  were 
"  all  marksmen,  and  could  kill  a  squirrel  at 
"a  hundred  yards;  reserve  their  fire,  and  the 
"  enemy  were  all  destroyed.  Aim  at  thehand- 
M  some  coats,  pick  off  the  commanders."  The 
same  orders  were  reiterated  by  Prescott  at 
the  redoubt,  by  Pomeroy,  Stark,  and  all  the 
veteran  officers. 

The  enemy  were  within  gunshot  of  the  re 
doubt;  a  few  of  the  sharp  shooters  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  and  fired.  Prescott  was 
indignant  at  this  contempt  of  his  orders  ;  wav 
ing  his  sword  he  swore  instant  death  against 
the  first  who  disobeyed  again,  appealed  to 
their  well  known  confidence  in  him,  and  pro 
mised  to  give  them  orders  at  the  proper  mo 
ment 

The  enemy  were  at  eight  rods  distance,  the 
deadly  muskets  were  levelled,  when  Prescott 
commanded  his  men  to  take  good  aim,  be  sure 
of  their  mark,  and  fire.  He  was  effectually 
obeyed.  The  whole  front  rank  was  swept 
away,  and  many  a  gallant  officer  laid  low. 
They  were,  however,  countr>men  of  those 
\vho  gave  the  fire,  and  received  it  with  the 


BUNKER  HILL  B\TTLE.  231 

same  cool  courage  with  which  it  was  given* 
Rank  succeeded  rank,  and  returned  the  fire, 
but  the  odds  was  fearful;  the  Americans  were 
well  protected  by  the  works ;  the  efforts  and 
courage  of  the  enemy  were  in  vain,  and  with 
surly  reluctance  they  were  compelled  to  re 
treat. 

Warren  animated  and  encouraged  the  men, 
and  with  the  rest  of  the  officers,  set  them  an 
example  with  his  musket ;  there  was  scarcely 
an  officer  of  any  grade,  except  Putnam  and 
Prescott,  without  one. 

Perfect  as  was  the  fire  of  the  American 
infantry,  their  artillery  was  as  grossly  defec 
tive  in  every  respect.  This  arm  requires 
science,  experience  and  know  ledge  of  position. 
But  the  artillery  companies  were  just  selected 
from  the  iniantry,  and  entirely  ignorant  of  their 
duty.  Callender  carried  his  pieces  into  action, 
but  his  cartridges  required  adjusting.  Totally 
in  violation  of  military  discipline,  he  left  his 
post  without  orders,  and  was  retiring  to  a  se 
cure  place  under  cover  of  the  hill,  to  prepare 
for  firing.  Putnam  observed  this  appearance 
of  retreat  and  was  fired  with  indignation  ;  he 
ordered  him  instantly  to  his  post;  Callender 
remonstrated,  but  Putnam  threatened  him  with 
instant  death,  if  he  hesitated,  and  forced  him 
back.  His  men,  however,  were  disgusted  \vith 
a  part  of  the  service  they  did  not  unuei  stand} 


232         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

most  of  them  had  muskets  and  mingled  in  the 
fight;  the  pieces  were  entirely  deserted,  and 
the  captain  relinquished  them. 

The  British  had  neglected  the  only  ma* 
noauvre  which  would  have  defeated  the  ene 
my,  to  mount  the  works  and  charge  with  the 
bayonet.  The  Americans  had  scarcely  a  bay 
onet  to  a  company,  and  it  must  have  succeed 
ed.  Under  cover  of  the  hill  they  prepared 
for  another  onset. 

Their  fellow  soldiers  on  the  right  arrived 
about  the  time  of  this  attack  on  the  redoubt 
to  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
Americans.  They  were  throwing  down  a 
fence,  when  a  few  marksmen  fired  on  them. 
Putnam  was  enraged  at  this  disobedience  of 
an  order  on  which  the  salvation  of  the  army 
depended  ;  he  rode  to  the  spot,  his  sword 
"whistling  through  the  air;  in  his  indignation  he 
threatened  to  cut  down  the  first  who  dared  to 
fire  again  without  orders.  The  discharge 
from  these  few  muskets,  however,  drew  the 
fire  from  the  enemy's  line,  which  continue  d 
moving  on,  and  when  about  eight  rods  from 
the  fence,  the  fatal  order  was  given  ;  the  fire 
of  the  Americans  mowed  them  down  with  the 
same  tremendous  severity,  as  at  the  redoubt. 
The  officers  especially  fell  victims  to  thein 
deadly  aim. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  233 

During  this  tremendous  fire  of  musketry 
and  roar  of  cannon,  McClary's  gigantic  voice 
was  distinctly  heard,  animating  and  encourag 
ing  the  men  as  though  he  would  inspire  every 
ball  that  sped  with  his  own  tire  and  energy. 

The  British  fired  their  heaviest  vollies  of 
musketry  with  admirable  coolness  and  regu 
larity,  but  without  aim,  at  the  Americans,  arid 
almost  every  ball  passed  harmless  over  them. 
Th''ir  artillery  had  been  stopped  by  the  brick 
kiius  in  the  low  ground,  and  produced  little 
eiiect.  This  wing  of  the  army  having  cover 
ed  the  ground  with  their  dead,  were  at  length 
compelled  likewise  to  retreat;  and  the  huzza  of 
victory  reechoed  through  the  American  line. 

General  Ward  had  by  this  time  despatched 
sufficient  reinforcements,  but  they  did  not 
reach  the  field.  The  fire  across  the  neck 
wore  an  aspect  too  terrific  for  raw  troops  to 
venture  in  it.  Putnam  flew  to  the  spot  to 
overcome  their  fears  and  hurry  them  on  be 
fore  the  enemy  returned.  He  entreated, 
threatened  and  encouraged  them;  lashing  his 
horse  with  the  flat  of  his  Svvord,  he  rode  back 
ward  and  forward  across  the  neck,  through 
the  hottest  fire,  to  convince  them  there  was 
no  danger.  The  balls  however  threw  up 
clouds  of  dust  about  him,  and  the  soldiers 
were  perfectly  convinced  that  he  was  invul 
nerable,  but  not  equally  conscious  of  being  so 


234        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE, 

themselves.*    Some  of  these  troops,  however* 
ventured  over. 

The  battalion  of  artillery  under  Major 
Gridley  had  proceeded  but  a  few  hundred 
rods  down  the  road  to  Charlestown  when 
they  were  halted,  and  this  officer  determined 
not  to  proceed  to  the  hill  but  wait  and  cover 
the  retreat,  which  he  considered  inevitable. 
He  was  young  and  inexperienced,  and  totally 
inadequate  to  the  important  command  which 
had  been  conferred  on  him  in  compliment  to 
his  father,  Colonel  Gridley.  He  was  con 
founded  with  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of 
his  situation,  and  never  recovered  his  self 
possession  during  the  day. 

While  the  artillery  was  halted  in  this  situa 
tion,  Colonel  James  Frye,  (who  was  absent 
from  his  regiment  on  duty  the  day  before,  but 
the  battle  approaching,  had  found  his  way  to 
the  field,)  riding  from  Charlestown  galloped  up 
to  them  and  demanded  of  the  senior  captain,t 
"  why  this  unseasonable  halt !"  He  was  aston 
ished  at  the  reply,  and  ordered  them  instantly 
to  the  field.  This  veteran  also  animated  their 
courage  by  the  glorious  recollection  "  this  day 


*  The  principal  fact  here  is  proved  by  the  deposition 
of  Mr.  Samuel  Bassett ;  the  other  circumstances  by  oral 
testimony. 

t  Yet  living,  and  from  whom  we  have  this  anecdote. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         235 

"  thirty  years  since,  I  was  at  the  taking  of 
"  Louisbourg  when  it  was  surrendered  to  us; 
"  il  is  a  fortunate  day  for  America,  we  "shall 
"  certainly  beat  the  enemy." 

The  artillery  proceeded.  Gridley  joined 
them ;  but  his  aversion  to  joining  in  the  en 
gagement  was  invincible,  and  he  ordered  them 
on  to  Cobble  Hill  to  fire  at  the  Glasgow  and 
floating  batteries.  The  order  was  so  palpably 
absurd,  with  their  three  pounders,  that  Cap 
tain  Trevett  absolutely  refused  obedience, 
ordered  his  men  to  follow  him,  and  marched 
for  the  lines. 

Major  Gridley  was  sensible  his  artillery 
would  be  hazarded  without  infantry  to  cover 
them.  Colonel  Mansfield  had  been  ordered 
with  his  regiment  to  reinforce  the  troops  at 
Charlestown,  but  being  peremptorily  com 
manded  by  Major  Gridley,  whom  he  consid 
ered  high  military  authority,  to  cover  his 
pieces,  he  complied  in  violation  of  his  orders. 

General  Putnam  left  the  neck  for  Bunker 
Hill  to  bring  up  the  reinforcements.  He  there 
found  Colonel  Gerrish  with  his  regiment  and 
some  other  scattered  troops.  Trie  colonel 
had  been  a  captain  in  the  provincial  army  of 
17.56;  he  was  of  unwieldy  corpulence  and  a 
disposition  by  far  too  quiet  for  a  soldier's. 
He  had  marched  his  men  rapidly  from  Cam- 


236          BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

bridge,  and  unwisely  halted  them  here  to  rest. 
The  blazing  sun  and  tremendous  fire  of  the 
enemy  combined  were  far  too  powerful  for 
the  faintness  of  his  military  ardor  to  overcome. 
The  men  were  disorganized  and. dispersed  on 
the  west  side  of  the  hill,  and  covered  by  the 
summit  from  the  fire.  Putnam  ordeied  them 
on  to  the  lines  ;  he  entreated  and  threatened 
them,  and  some  of  the  most  cowardly  he 
knocked  down  with  his  sword,  but  all  ii.  vain. 
The  men  complained  they  had  not  their  offi- 
'cers  ;  he  offered  to  lead  them  on  himself,  but 
"  the  cannon  were  deserted  and  they  stood  no 
"  chance  without  them."  The  battle  indeed 
appeared  here  in  all  its  horrors.  The  Brit 
ish  musketry  fired  high  and  took  effect  on 
this  elevated  hill  and  it  was  completely  ex 
posed  to  the  cdmbined  fire  from  their  ships, 
batteries,  and  field  pieces. 

The  enemy  were  by  this  time  organized 
anew  and  were  ag\-  jri  advancing  to  the  attack. 
Putnam's  duty  called  him  to  the  lines.  At 
this  time  Captain  Ford  appeared  with  his 
company.  He  served  in  a  regiment  under  the 
veteran  Lieutenant  Colonel  Parker  and  Major 
Brooks.  Of  them  he  had  learned  the  duties 
of  a  soldier.  He  had  already  signalized  him 
self  at  Lexington  battle  by  killing  five  of  the 
enemy.  His  orders  were  to  proceed  to  the 
lines  and  reinforce  the  tumps ;  he  obeyed, 
marched  unconcerned  across  the  neck  and 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        237 

was  proceeding  down  Bunker  Hill,  when 
Putnam  was  delighted  with  an  aid  so  oppor 
tune.  Callender's  deserted  cannon  were  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill ;  he  ordered  Captain  Ford 
with  his  company  to  draw  them  into  line. 
The  captain  remonstrated  "  his  company  were 
•4  totally  ignorant  of  the  discipline  and  em- 
44  ployment  of  artillery."  But  the  general  per 
emptorily  persisting  in  his  order,  he  obeyed ; 
his  company  moved  with  the  cannon  and  the 
general  himself  to  the  rail  fence. 

The  heroic  enemy  with  unwavering  step 
and  firm  undaunted  bravery  appeared  again 
before  the  murderous  lines  which  had  already 
compelled  them  to  retreat.  They  had  nearly 
the  same  obstacles  to  overcome  as  before. 
Their  cumbrous  knapsacks,  tall  uhd  almost 
impassable  grass,  and  a  torrid  sun  blazing  in 
face  of  them  they  had  to  contend  against,  as 
well  as  an  enemy  every  way  worthy  of  them. 
One  new  obstacle  they  had  to  pass,  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  fellow  soldiers  vvhich  covered 
the  ground.  But  this  served  rather  to  stimu 
late  them  to  still  more  daring  efforts  to  re 
venge  their  fall.  The  last  of  the  reinforce 
ments,  a  few  companies  of  marines,  arrived  on 
the  left. 

The  Americans  were  now  more  confident 
and  perfect  than  before  in  a  manoeuvre  which 
had  been   crowned  with   success.     It  was  in- 
21 


238         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

deed  perfectly  simple,  but  equally  fatal  to  the 
foe.  They  received  orders  to  reserve  their 
fire  till  the  enemy  approached  still  nearer 
than  before.  At  six  rods  only  they  were  per 
mitted  to  return  the  fire.  The  British  artil 
lery  approached  by  the  narrow  road  between 
the  tongue  of  land  and  Breed's  Hill,  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  rail  fence,  and 
almost  in  a  line  with  the  redoubt,  and  opened 
on  the  lines  to  prepare  a  way  for  their  in 
fantry.  The  latter  commenced  a  regular  and 
tremendous  volley  by  platoons,  and  their  fire 
soon  became  general.  But  unfortunately  for 
them,  though  perfect  in  drill  discipline,  and 
regular  movements  of  parade,  they  were  as 
grossly  unskilful  in  what  was  a  thousand  times 
more  important,  a  knowledge  of  their  wea 
pons.  Tbfeir  aim  was  too  elevated,  and  the 
enemy  were  hidden  behind  their  works.  Some 
of  their  balls  however  took  effect,  and  a  few  of 
the  privates  fell  victims.  The  brave  Major 
Moore  was  mortally  wounded.  Major  Buck- 
minster  received  a  ball  through  the  shoulder 
and  was  crippled  for  life. 

To  add  new  horrors  to  the  scene,  vast  col 
umns  of  smoke  were  now  observed  over 
Charlestown,  and  passed  to  the  south  over 
the  American  lines.  General  Howe  on  his 
first  advance  had  sent  word  to  General  Bur- 
goyne  and  General  Clinton  on  Copps  Hill, 
that  his  left  flank  was  annoyed  by  musketry 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  239 

from  Charlestown,  and  ordered  them  to  burn 
it  down.  A  carcass  was  fired,  but  fell  short 
near  the  ferry  way;  a  second  fell  in  the  street, 
and  the  town  was  on  fire.  The  confla 
gration  was  completed  by  a  detachment  of 
men  who  landed  from  the  Somerset.  The 
whole  town  was  combustible.  The  flames  as 
cended  to  heaven  on  the  lofty  spire  of  the 
church,  and  resembled  the  eruptions  of  a  vast 
volcano  in  solemn  grandeur  and  sublimity. 
The  advance  of  the  enemy  was  not  obscured 
by  the  smoke  from  Charlestown  ;  they  were  in 
full  view  of  the  Americans.  Putnam  now, 
with  the  assistance  of  Captain  Ford's  compa 
ny,  opened  his  artillery  upon  them.  He  had 
on  this  day  performed  the  service  of  general, 
engineer  and  guide,  and  he  now  turned  can- 
nonier,  with  splendid  success,,  and  to  the  high 
est  satisfaction  of  his  surrounding  countrymen. 
Each  company  of  artillery  had  but  twelve 
cartridges,  and  these  were  soon  expended. 
He  pointed  the  cannon  himself,  the  balls  took 
effect  on  the  enemy,  and  one  case  of  canister 
made  a  lane  through  them.  As  in  Milton's 
battle, 

"  Foul  dissipation  followed  and  forced  rout." 

With  wonderful  courage,  however,  the  enemy 
closed  his  ranks,  and  the  fire  became  general 
on  both  sides.  The  Americans  suffered  the 
enemy  to  approach  still  nearer  than  before; 


240         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

men  and  officers  fell   in  promiscuous  heaps ; 
whole  front  ranks  of  them  were  swept  away. 

General  Ward  was  without  staff  officers  to 
bear  his  commands,  excepting  one  aid  and  a 
secretary,  who  performed  the  duty.  During 
the  whole  day  these  were  mounted  and  on  full 
speed  between  Breed's  Hill  and  head  quarters. 
Loss  and  neglect  of  orders  were  the  inevita 
ble  consequence.  Colonel  Gardner's  regi 
ment  and  others  who  had  been  posted  between 
Cambridge  and  Charlestown,  to  wait  further 
orders,  were  overlooked.  The  battle  was 
raging,  and  no  orders  arrived.  The  colonel 
was  a  gentleman  of  rank,  had  been  a  member 
of  the  legislature,  and  commanded  a  regiment 
of  militia,  which,,  marching  to  Lexington  to 
join  in  the  engagement  there,  suddenly  open 
ed  on  the  British  artillery;  being  entirely  void 
of  cover  they  dispersed.  His  gallant  soul  felt 
their  conduct  as  a  stigma  on  himself,  and  ho 
resolved  on  the  earliest  opportunity  to  wipe 
the  spot  from  his  escutcheon.  A  glorious  oc 
casion  was  before  him,  and  he  panted  to  em 
brace  it — to  reap  the  honors  of  victory,  or 
death  and  lasting  fame.  The  latter  fate  was 
Decreed  him.  He  called  to  him  his  officers, 
and  offered  to  lead  them  into  battle  ;  most  of 
them  with  three  hundred  of  his  men  followed 
him.  He  led  them  over  Bunker  Hill,  viewed 
with  unconcern  the  battle  scene  on  the  hill  be 
fore  him,  terrible  as  Mount  Sinai,  and  with 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  241 

glorious  anticipations,  was  descending  to  the 
engagement,  when  a  musket  ball  entered  his 
groin,  and  the  wound  proved  mortal.  He  gave 
his  men  his  last  solemn  injunction,  to  conquer 
or  die,  and  was  carried  off  the  field.  He  soon 
met  Captain  Trevett  advancing  with  his  artil 
lery,  and  an  interesting  and  heroic  interview 
ensued  between  the  colonel  and  Captain  Tre- 
vett's  second  Lieutenant  Gardner,  his  son,  a 
mere  youth  of  nineteen.  The  son  was  in  ago 
ny  at  the  desperate  situation  of  his  father,  and 
would  have  attended  him  off  the  ground.  But 
the  colonel  prohibited  this.  "  He  should  not 
"  be  alarmed  at  his  situation,  he  was  engaged 
c;  in  a  good  cause  and  must  march  on  and  do 
"  his  duty."  The  distracted  son  obeyed,  and 
his  dying;  father  had  the  consolation  to  learn 

J         O 

that  his  last  injunction  and  glorious  example 
were  not  lost ;  and  that  his  son  was  worthy 
of  him. 

These  reinforcements,  with  Captain  Clark 
and  Captains  Chester  and  Coit,  who  soon  fol 
lowed  with  their  companies,  supplied  the 
places  of  those  who  had  expended  their  ammu 
nition  and  left  the  ground,  and  of  the  detach 
ment  sent  off  with  the  entrenching  tools,  who, 
in  contempt  of  their  orders,  never  returned.. 

The  British  had  a  long  time  borne  the  mur 
derous  fire  of  the  enemy,  but  their  astonish 
ing  fortitude  and  daring  efforts  were  useless 
21  * 


lM2          BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

against  the  insuperable  difficulties  they  encouri* 
tercel.  Nearly  a  thousand  of  their  number 
had  fallen,  with  an  incredible  proportion  of 
the  bravest  officers.  The  distinguished  Col 
onels  Abercrombie  and  Williams,  and  Major 
Spendlove,  had  purchased  fame  with  their 
lives. 

The  gallant  Major  Small  was  left  standing 
alone,  every  one  shot  down  about  him.  The 
never  erring  muskets  were  levelled  at  him, 
and  a  soldier's  fate  was  his  inevitable  destiny, 
had  not  Putnam  at  the  instant  appeared. 
Each  recognized  in  the  other  an  old  friend 
and  fellow  soldier;  the  tie  was  sacred;  Putnam 
threw  up  the  deadly  muskets  with  his  sword, 
and  arrested  his  fate.  He  begged  his  men  to 
spare  that  officer,  as  dear  to  him  as  a  brother. 
The  general's  humane  and  chivalrous  gene 
rosity  excited  in  them  new  admiration,  and  his 
friend  retired  unhurt. 

The  undaunted  Howe  still  led  on  his  men 
in  the  hottest  of  the  battle.  His  friend  and 
volunteer  aid,  Gordon,  and  Captain  Addison,  a 
descendant  from  the  author  of  the  Spectator, 
were  slain,  and  almost  every  other  officer  of 
his  staff  or  near  him  was  shot.  Mortified  and 
indignant  at  so  much  blood  wasted  in  vain> 
he  seemed  to  court  an  honorable  death  to 
hide  him  from  the  disgrace  of  a  second  defeat 
by  an  enemy  he  despised  as  peasants  and  re* 


BANKER  HILL  BATTLE.  213 

bels.  His  life  seemed  charmed,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  follow  his  army,  who  again  re 
treated  and  left  their  enemy  to  taste,  a  second 
time,  the  joys  of  victory. 

The  exultation  of  the  Americans  was  glori 
ous  and  well  deserved,  but  it  wras,  alas,  short 
lived.  They  had  leisure  to  realize  the  entire 
hopelessness  of  their  situation.  Their  ammu 
nition  was  expended,  and  they  were  as  desti 
tute  of  every  offensive  weapon  as  the  naked 
savages,  their  predecessors.  Prescoti  found  a 
few  artillery  cartridges,  which  he  distributed 
to  his  men,  and  they  determined  to  show  a  re 
solute  front  to  the  enemy,  to  club  their  mus 
kets,  and  even  employ  the  stones  thrown  up 
with  the  parapet  against  them.  Their  only 
hope,  however,  was  from  a  want  of  fortitude 
in  the  enemy,  and  that  they  had  twice  this 
day  proved  was  slender  indeed. 

General  Howe  gave  his  men  orders  to  pre 
pare  again  to  advance.  Some  of  the  officers 
remonstrated,  that  it  would  be  mere  butchery 
to  lead  therii-  on  again,  but  the  generals,  and 
nearly  every  officer,  were  indignant  at  a  dis 
tant  suspicion  of  their  yielding  the  victory  to 
these  rebels,  an  undisciplined  rabble,  of  inferior 
numbers,  after  all  their  boasting,  and  after  they 
had  poured  out  every  epithet  of  contempt 
against  them.  To  conquer  or  die  was  their 
resolve. 


244         UUXKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Bloody  experience  at  last  opened  their  eyes 
to  their  egregious  errors.  Their  overweening 
confidence  was  laid  aside,  and  a  calculated, 
deliberate  and  judicious  plan  of  attack  adopt 
ed.  The  overloaded  knapsacks  were  relin 
quished  ;  firing  with  musketry  was  prohibited, 
and  a  charge  with  the  bayonet  resorted  to. 
The  attack  was  to  be  more  concentrated; 
while  the  troops  at  the  rail  fence  were  amus 
ed  by  a  show  of  force,  the  grand  effort  was  to 
be  against  the  redoubt  and  breastwork,  and 
particularly  the  right  flank. 

The  accomplished  and  chivalrous  General 
Clinton  now  joined  and  brought  his  splendid 
talents  into  the  council,  and  his  distinguished 
gallantry  into  the  field.  Immediate  and  in 
conceivable  was  the  sensation  his  appearance 
produced  at  this  moment  of  deep  despondence. 
From  Copps  Hill  he  had  observed  with  shame 
and  indignation  the  double  rout  of  his  country 
men,  and  particularly  that  the  two  distinguish 
ed  battalions,  the  marines  and  forty  seventh, 
were  staggered  and  wavering.  Without  wait 
ing  for  orders,  he  threw  himseh  Into  a  boat, 
passed  over,  and  soon  breathed  into  them  his 
own  exalted  heroism. 

General  Howe  a  third  time  commanded  a 
forward  movement  to  scale  the  works  and 
rush  on  the  enemy  with  the  bayonet.  He  came 
to  tlie  left  to  lead  on  to  the  redoubt  himself. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  2  I;") 

Clinton  joined  General  Pigot  and  the  marines 
on  the  left  to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  ene 
my.  The  artillery  were  ordered  to  advance 
still  farther  than  before  on  their  old  rout,  and 
turn  the  left  of  the  breastwork  to  rake  the 
line.  General  Howe  at  last  became  sensible 
that  this  was  the  most  vulnerable  point  and 
key  of  the  enemy's  position. 

The  Americans  made  every  preparation 
possible  to  repel  the  last  desperate  effort  of 
the  enemy.  Putnam  again  rode  to  the  rear, 
and  exhausted  every  art  and  effort  to  bring  on 
the  scattered  reinforcements.  Captain  Bay- 
ley,  only,  of  Colonel  Gerrish's  regiment,  ad 
vanced  to  the  lines,  and  Captain  Trovett  now 
arrived  at  the  rail  fence  with  his  pieces. 

The  enemy  stripped  off  their  knapsacks, 
and  many  of  them  their  coats  ;  the  artillery 
pushed  on  by  the  road  on  the  north,  the  forty 
seventh  and  marines  near  the  road  on  the  south 
side  of  the  hill,  and  the  remains  of  the  royal  Irish 
and  other  regiments,  and  part  of  the  grena 
diers  and  light  infantry  in  front.  Their  past 
efforts  had  exhausted  the  strength  and  spirit 
of  many  of  the  men  who  lingered  in  the  rear, 
and  their  gallant  officers  were  compelled  to 
urge  them  on  with  their  swords.  Some  of  the 
less  resolute  fired  their  pieces,  but  the  great 
masses  obeyed  their  orders,  and  with  firmness 
moved  on  to  the  charge.  They  arrived  under 


246  BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

the  fire  of  the  Americans,  who  improved  to 
advantage  their  last  opportunity  for  ven 
geance.  Every  shot  took  effect.  The  gallant 
Howe  at  last  received  a  ball  in  the  foot,  where 
only  like  Achilles  he  seemed  to  be  vulnerable, 
but  continued  to  animate  his  men. 

A  few  only  of  the  Americans  had  a  charge 
of  ammunition  remaining.  They  had  sent  for 
a  supply  in  vain;  a  barrel  and  a  half  only  were 
in  the  magazine.  They  resorted  next  to  stones, 
but  these  served  only  to  betray  their  weak 
ness,  and  lent  new  energy  to  the  foe. 

The  artillery  advanced  to  the  open  space 
between  the  breastwork  and  rail  fence  ;  this 
ground  was  defended  by  some  brave  Essex 
troops,  covered  only  by  scattered  trees.  With 
resolution  and  deadly  aim  they  poured  the 
most  destructive  vollies  on  the  enemy.  The 
cannon,  however,  turned  the  breastwork,  en 
filaded  the  line,  and  sent  their  balls  through 
the  open  gateway  or  sally  port,  directly  into 
the  redoubt,  under  cover  of  which  the  troops 
at  the  breastwork  were  compelled  to  retire. 

The  enemy  bravely  bore  the  deadly  fire, 
and  continually  closing  his  broken  ranks,  de 
liberately  advanced  on  every  side  of  the  re 
doubt  except  the  north.  They  were  now  un 
der  the  eastern  side  of  the  redoubt  and  cover 
ed  from  the  fire.  The  Americans  retired  to 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  247 

the  side  opposite  to  take  them  as  they  rose. 
Lieutenant  Prescott,  a  nephew  of  the  colonel, 
received' a  ball  through  the  arm ;  it  hung  bro 
ken  and  useless  by  his  side.  The  colonel  or 
dered  him  to  content  himself  with  encourag 
ing  his  men.  But  he  contrived  to  load  his 
piece,  and  was  passing  by  the  sally  port  to 
rest  against  the  enemy,  when  a  cannon  ball 
cut  him  to  pieces. 

Young  Richardson  of  the  royal  Irish,  was 
the  first  to  mount  the  works,  and  was  instant 
ly  shot  down  ;  the  front  rank  which  succeeded 
shared  the  same  fate.  Among  these  mounted 
the  gallant  Major  Pitcairn,  and  exultingly 
cried  "  the  day  is  ours,"  when  a  black  soldier 
named  Salem,*  shot  him  through  and  he  fell. 
His  agonized  son  received  him  in  his  arms  and 
tenderly  bore  him  to  the  boats.  It  was  he 
who  caused  the  first  effusion  of  blood  at  Lex 
ington.  In  that  battle  his  horse  was  shot  un 
der  him,  while  he  was  separated  from  his 
troops ;  with  presence  of  mind  he  feigned  him 
self  slain;  his  pistolst  were  taken  from  his 
holsters,  and  he  was  left  for  dead,  when  he 
seized  the  opportunity  and  escaped. 

*  A  contribution  was  made  in  the  army  for  this  sol 
dier,  and  he  was  presented  to  Washington,  us  having 
performed  this  feat. 

t  This  trophy  afterwards  belonged  to  General  Put 
nam,  and  yet  remains  in  his  family,  from  whom  we  have 
the  above  anecdote. 


248         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

The  heroic  but  diminutive  Pigot  ran  up  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  redoubt,  assisted  by  a 
tree  left  standing  there,  and  desperately  led 
on  his  men.  Troops  succeeded  troops  over 
the  parapet,  and  Prescott  exhausted  every  re 
source  to  repel  them,  even  with  the  buts  of 
his  guns. 

But  he  had  now  his  last  great  victory  to 
achieve,  to  which  all  his  past  toils,  dangers 
and  privations,  were  nothing.  He  had  twice 
conquered  the  enemy ;  he  had  now,  a  more 
difficult  task,  to  conquer  himself,  to  bend  down 
his  lofty  soul,  and  turn  his  back  to  the  enemy. 
Perfectly  careless  of  his  own  life,  he  had  no 
right  to  trifle  with  the  lives  of  his  men.  It 
was  a  sacred  deposit  they  had  entrusted  to  his 
honor,  a  bond  which  he  never  forfeited.  In 
stead  of  an  useless  waste  of  life,  with  a  "  nil 
desperandum,"  he  quelled  his  revolting  spirit 
and  ordered  a  retreat. 

General  Ward  had  gratified  at  last  the  ar 
dent  wishes  of  the  Connecticut  troops  to  join 
their  beloved  general.  Captains  Chester, 
Clark  and  Coit  were  on  the  ground  with  their 
troops,  and  Major  Durkee's  impatience  had 
before  this  brought  him  mounted  to  the  field, 
to  join  his  old  commander  and  comrade  of  for 
mer  wars.  Putnam's  imagination  had  already 
inscribed  the  victory  of  Bunker  Hill  on  his 
coat  of  arms,  when  a  dark  cloud  flew  across 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  249 

the   brilliant  prospect.      The  retreat  of  the 
right  wing  burst  upon  him. 

The  gallant  veteran  Gridley  now  received 
a  ball  through  the  leg,  and  was  carried  off. 
He  had  served  all  nignt  at  the  entrenchments, 
and  had  all  day  assisted  in  defending  his  own 
works,  and  proving  their  excellence. 

Prescott's  troops  fought  their  way  through 
the  surrounding  enemy.  The  veteran  Captain 
Bancroft  was  charging  his  piece,  a  British 
soldier  leaped  from  the  parapet,  touching  him 
as  he  came  to  the  ground,  and  levelled  at  him; 
they  fired  together ;  the  captain  tore  him  to 
pieces  and  escaped  unhurt.  One  of  the  men 
without  ammunition  perceived  Lieutenant 
Prescott's  loaded  musket  by  its  deceased  mas 
ter  ;  a  Briton  obstructed  his  passage ;  seizing 
the  loaded  musket  he  brought  his  antagonist 
to  the  ground. 

Colonel  Bridge,  who  came  with  the  first  de 
tachment,  was  one  of  the  last  to  retreat,  and 
was  twice  severely  wounded,  in  the  head  and 
neck.  His  lieutenant  colonel,  the  veteran 
Parker,  who  had  escaped  through  the  whole 
war  of  1756,  in  which  he  had  signalized  him 
self,  and  especially  at  the  desperate  siege  of 
Fort  Frontinac,  received  a  bail  in  the  thigh, 
and  was  left  mortally  wounded  in  the  re 
doubt. 

22 


250  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

The  chivalrous  Warren  lingered  to  the  last. 
His  exalted  spirit  disdained  as  a  disgrace  a 
retreat  the  most  inevitable.  He  animated  the 
men  to  the  most  desperate  daring ;  and  when 
hope  itself  had  fled,  he  still  disdained  to  fly. 
With  sullen  reluctance  he  followed  his  coun 
trymen,  and  seemed  to  court  that  ball  from 
the  enemy,  which  a  few  yards  from  the  re 
doubt,  passed  through  his  head,  and  secured 
to  him  the  eternal  gratitude  of  his  country 
men,  and  immortal  fame  throughout  the  world. 

Small  here  repaid  the  debt  of  gratitude  he 
owed  the  enemy.  He  recognized  Warren, 
his  intimate  friend,  as  he  was  leaving  the  re 
doubt,  called  to  him  for  God's  sake  to  stand 
and  save  his  life ;  he  turned  and  seemed  to 
recognize  him,  but  kept  on.  Small  command 
ed  the  men  not  to  fire  at  him;  he  threw  up 
the  muskets  with  his  sword,  but  in  vain,  the 
fatal  ball  had  sped. 

The  enemy  came  on,  exhausted  by  their 
desperate  efforts,  under  a  blazing  sun,  and 
broken  by  the  well  directed  fire.  They  had 
not  force  to  employ  the  bayonet,  and  were  too 
much  broken  and  mingled  with  the  enemy  to 
fire  their  pieces.  Their  right  and  left  wings 
were  indeed  facing  each  other,  with  the  Amer 
icans  between  ;  their  fire  would  have  cut  down 
both  friend  and  foe.  While  they  formed  them 
selves  anew,  the  Americans  collected,  and 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  251 

made  a  brave  and  orderly  retreat.  Putnam 
put  spurs  to  his  foaming  horse  and  threw  him 
self  between  the  retreating  force  and  the  ene 
my,  who  were  but  twelve  rods  from  him  ;*  his 
countrymen  were  in  momentary  expectation 
of  seeing  this  compeer  of  the  immortal  War 
ren  fall.  He  entreated  them  to  rally  and  re 
new  the  fight,  to  finish  his  works  on  Bunker 
Hill,  and  again  give  the  enemy  battle  on  that 
unassailable  position,  and  pledged  his  honor 
to  restore  to  them  an  easy  victory.  Captain 
Smith  of  General  Ward's  regiment  came  with 
his  company  to  reinforce,  joined  in  the  retreat, 
and  assisted  to  keep  the  enemy  at  bay. 

The  Americans  had  retreated  about  twenty 
rods  before  the  enemy  had  time  to  rally  and 
pour  in  a  destructive  fire  on  them,  which  des 
troyed  more  than  they  had  lost  before  during 
the  day.  Colonel  Prescott's  adjutant  was 
shot  and  crippled,  Captain  Dow,  of  his  regi 
ment,  was  also  crippled  by  a  wound  in  the  leg, 
and  Captain  Bancroft  -had  a  part  of  his  hand 
carried  oif. 


*  Deposition  of  Lyman,  then  a  lieutenant,  and  pre"- 
scnt,  ami  Miner,  a  private  in  the  same  company.  This 
is  confirmed  too  by  the  testimony  of  a  distinguished  offi 
cer  ot  the  revolution,  yet  living,  who  had  served  with 
General  Putnam  in  the'French  war,  and  was  present  him 
self  ;md  badlv  wotnried. 


252  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

The  American  left  wing  were  openly  con 
gratulating  themselves  on  their  victory,  when 
their  flank  was  opened  by  the  retreat  of  the 
right.  The  enemy  pressed  on  them,  and  they 
were  in  their  turn  compelled  to  retire.  Put 
nam  covered  their  retreat  with  his  Connecti 
cut  troops,  and  dared  the  utmost  fury  of  the 
enemy,  in  the  rear  of  the  whole,  These  pur 
sued  with  little  ardor,  but  poured  in  their 
thundering  vollies,  and  showers  of  balls  fell 
like  hail  around  the  general.* 

He  addressed  himself  to  every  passion  of 
the  troops,  to  persuade  them  to  rally,  to  throw 
up  his  works  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  make  a  stand, 
and,  as  the  last  resort,  threatened  them  with 
the  eternal  disgrace  of  deserting  their  general. 
He  took  his  stand  near  a  field  piece,  and  seem 
ed  resolved  to  brave  the  foe  alone.  His  troops, 
however,  felt  it  impossible  to  withstand  the 
overwhelming  force  of  the  British  bayonets ; 
they  left  him.  One  sergeant  only  dared  to 
stand  by  his  general  to  the  last ;  he  was  shot 
down,  and  the  enemy's  bayonets  were  just 
upon  the  general,  before  he  retired. 


*  This  fact  we  have  from  a  respectable  friend,  who 
was  present  and  yet  lives,  Philip  Johnson,  Esq.  of  New  - 
buryport.  His  honor  and  veracity  is  surpassed  by  no 
man's.  See  also  deposition  of  Captain  Hills,  then  en 
sign  to  K.nowltou. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        253 

General  Pomeroy  continued  to  animate  the 
men,  and  cut  down  the  enemy  himself,  till  a 
well  hove  ball  shattered  his  musket.  The  re 
treat  having  commenced,  he  disdained  to  turn 
his  back;  but  with  backward  step  and  lower 
ing  front  shouldered  the  fragments  of  his  piece, 
and  carried  off  his  men,  encouraging  them  to 
pour  in  their  formidable  fire  on  the  enemy. 

Captain  Trevett,  like  Callender,  was  de 
serted  by  his  men.  His  lieutenants,  Swasey 
and  Gardner,  stood  by  him,  with  but  seven 
others,  one  of  whom  was  Moses  Porter,  al 
ready  a  promising  artillerist.  He  persuaded 
about  thirty  of  the  infantry  to  join  in  saving 
one  of  his  pieces,  the  other  he  was  compelled 
to  abandon.  A  British  company  noticed  the 
piece,  and  determined  to  seize  the  prey ;  they 
pursued,  on  the  top  of  Bunker  Hill  were  with 
in  thirty  yards  of  them,  levelled  their  muskets 
and  fired.  The  captain  gave  up  all  for  lost, 
when  but  one  dropped  dead,  and  another 
wounded,  the  remajnder  rapidly  descended 
the  hill,  and  carried  off  with  honor  the  only 
piece  saved  out  of  six  taken  to  the  field.  Gen 
eral  Putnam  ordered  it  to  Cambridge. 

The  Charlestown  company  of  Colonel 
Gardner's  regiment  was  the  last  to  retreat. 
They  were  fighting  at  their  own  doors,  on 
their  own  natal  soil.  They  were  on  the  ex 
treme  left,  covered  by  some  loose  stones 
22* 


254         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

thrown  up  on  the  shore  of  Mystic  River,  dur 
ing  the  day,  by  order  of  Colonel  Stark.  At 
this  most  important  pass  into  the  country, 
against  which  the  enemy  made  their  most  des 
perate  efforts,  like  Leonidas'  band  they  had 
taken  post,  and  like  them  they  defended  it, 
till  the  enemy  had  discovered  another. 

One  piece  of  cannon  at  the  neck  opened  on 
the  enemy  and  covered  the  retreat.  But  these 
were  in  no  condition,  and  discovered  no  incli 
nation  to  renew  the  engagement,  or  pursue 
their  advantage,  except  by  a  formidable  can 
nonade  from  their  field  pieces.  They  remain 
ed  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  lay  on  their  arms  dur 
ing  the  night.  The  same  was  done  on  Win 
ter  Hill  by  the  New  Hampshire  troops,  and 
by  the  rest  of  the  Americans  on  Prospect  Hill, 
directly  in  face  of  the  enemy. 

Major  Brooks  was  retained  at  Cambridge 
by  General  Ward,  till  the  last  reinforcements 
were  sent  to  Charlestown,  when  he  marched 
with  the  two  remaining  companies  of  his  regi 
ment,  and  met  at  the  neck  the  Americans  re 
treating. 

Benjamin  Thompson,  better  known  as 
Count  Rumford,  attended  him  as  a  volunteer. 
He  was  assisting  the  army  by  his  mathemati 
cal  learning,  his  estimates  and  surveys,  but 
had  solicited  an  appointment  in  vain,  and  had 


BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE.  255 

made  great  but  fruitless  interest  for  the  com 
mission  in  the  artillery  which  was  bestowed 
on  Major  Gridley.  For  this  gross  injustice 
done  to  his  distinguished  merit,  his-  country 
suffered  well  deserved  punishment  in  the  mis 
conduct  of  his  rival,  and  by  the  final  loss  of 
his  services,  except  what  they  received,  in 
common  with  all  mankind,  from  his  splendid 
philosophical  discoveries,  his  glorious  and 
beneficent  political  labors. 

McClary,  as  attentive  to  the  wants  of  his 
men  as  desperate  in  fighting  them,  galloped 
to  Medford  and  returned  with  dressings  for 
the  wounded.  He  ordered  Captain  Dearborn 
to  advance  toward  the  neck  with  his  compa 
ny,  whilst  he  crossed  over  to  reconnoitre  the 
enemy.  He  was  returning  with  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Robinson  and  others,  and  boasting 
that  the  shot  commissioned  to  kill  him  was 
not  yet  cast,  when  a  cannon  ball  from  the 
Glasgow  tore  him  to  pieces.  No  smaller 
weapon  seemed  worthy  to  destroy  the  gigan 
tic  hero. 

The  veteran  Gridley  entered  his  sulky  at 
Bunker  Hill  to  be  carried  off.  The  enemy 
perceived  the  prey,  shot  his  horse  and  riddled 
the  sulky  with  balls;  but  their  rage  was  im 
potent;  meeting  some  obstruction  in  the  roack 
he  had  left  the  carriage  a  moment  before. 


256         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Prescott  repaired  to  Cambridge,  furious  as 
a  lion  driven  from  his  lair,  foaming'  with  in 
dignation  at  the  want  of  support  when  victory 
was  in  his  grasp, — a  victory  dearly  purchased 
with  the  precious  blood  of  his  soldiers,  family 
and  friends.  He  demanded  but  two  fresh  re 
giments  of  General  Ward,  and  pledged  his 
life  with  them  to  drive  the  enemy  to  his  boats. 
He  had  not  yet  done  enough  to  satisfy  him 
self,  though  he  had  done  enough  to  satisfy  his 
country.  He  had  not  indeed  secured  final 
victory,  but  he  had  secured  a  glorious  immor 
tality. 

Two  young  men  in  Boston  were  employed 
to  take  the  wounded  from  the  boats  to  the 
hospitals.  A  young  lieutenant,  shot  through 
the  body,  was  carried  by  them  in  a  chair  to 
his  encampment.  Passing  the  streets,  pale 
and  faint  with  loss  of  blood,  he  attracted  the 
humane  and  generous  compassion  shown  by 
the  inhabitants  to  the  wounded  ;  enmity  for 
gotten,  they  were  all  at  their  doors  with  re-' 
freshing  drink  for  them. 

o 

At  the  encampment  they  met  Captain  Pit- 
cairn,  covered  with  blood.  Struck  with  the 
appearance,  the  lieutenant  inquired  of  him  tta 
cause,  but  his  grief  was  too  big  for  utterance^, 
"vox  faucibus  ha^sit."  A  sergeant  informed 

O 

him,  the   captain's  father   was   shot   at  the 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        257 

breastwork,  and  the  captain  carried  him  to 
the  boat,  where  he  died  in  his  arms. 

The  hospital  was  established  in  a  diftcrent 
place,  to  which  they  repaired,  and  witnessed 
a  scene  to  melt  the  most  obdurate  enemy. 
The  hospital  and  even  the  yard  was  overload 
ed  with  wounded,  praying  in  vain  for  the  sur 
geons  to  arrest  the  current  of  life,  fast  ebbing 
from  their  wounds,  but  which,  from  the 
numbers,  it  was  impossible  to  dress. 

Loud  and  melancholy  waitings  for  the  dead, 
from  widows  of  the  common  soldiers,  were 
heard  in  every  street,  and  struck  on  the  heart 
of  the  passenger. 

The  number  of  the  Americans  during  the 
battle,  was  fluctuating,  but  may  be  fairly  es- 
limate&at  little  more  than  two  thousand  men. 
Their  loss  was  one  hundred  and  fifteen  killed, 
three  hundred  and  five  wounded,  and  thirty 
captured,  in  all  four  hundred  and  fifty.*  The 
following  is  the  loss  of  the  respective  corps  : 

Regiments.  Kiilol.     Wountled. 

Colonels  Stark  and  Reed  15  4J 

Colonel  Scammons  n  £ 

• Gerrislv  3  3 

Wliitcomb  5  8 

-Brewer  U 


'*  General  Ward's  orderly  hook, 


258  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

Regiments.  Killed.     Wounded. 

Colonel  Little  7  23 

Gardner  6  7 

— Gridley  0  4 

t-eneral  Putnam's  regiment,  ~) 

Captain  Coit  and  [-              15  SO 

Captain  Chester's  companies  J 

General  Ward  1  6 

Colonel  Bridge  16  29 

Prescott  42  28 

. Frye  15  31 

• .  Nixon  S  10 

• •  Woodbridge  1  5 

Doolittle  0  9 

Provincial  Newspaper,  July  15,  1775. 

The  British  loss  was  one  thousand  and  fifty 
four,  including  eighty  nine  officers  ;  of  these 
two  hundred  and  twenty  six  weie  killed,  in 
cluding  nineteen  officers,  and  eight  hundred 
and  twenty  eight  wounded,  seventy  of  whom 
were  officers.  The  fifth  regiment  had  one 
officer  killed,  the  fourth  one,  twenty  second 
one,  thirty  fifth  two,  thirty  eighth  one,  forty 
third  one,  forty  seventh  three,  fifty  second  five, 
four  of  them  were  the  highest  officers  of  the 
regiment,  and  the  only  pain  they  expressed 
from  their  wounds,  was  from  having  received 
them  through  the  back.  The  sixty  third  had 
one  killed,  sixty  fifth  one,  sixty  seventh  one, 
marines  six,  and  General  Howe's  aid  de  camp; 
The  fourth  regiment  had  four  wounded,  fifth 
seven,  tenth  live,  fourteenth  one,  eighteenth 
one,  twenty  third  four,  thirty  fifth  three,  thir 
ty  eighth  nine,  forty  third  three,  forty  seventh 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        259 

five,  fifty  second  five,  fifty  ninth  one,  sixty 
third  two,  sixty  fifth  four,  marines  twelve, 
Page,  of  the  engineers,  and  Jardin,  secretary 
to  General  Howe,  All  the  grenadiers  of  one 
company  were  shot  storming  the  works  ex 
cepting  five,  and  these  were  led  on  by  the 
oldest  soldier.  The  grenadiers  of  the  Welsh 
fusiliers  were  reduced  to  eight,  and  twenty 
two  out  of  thirty  nine  grenadiers  of  the  fifty 
second  regiment  were  killed.* 

In  this  battle  the  British  gained  a  nominal 
victory,  but  the  Americans  the  only  prize  con 
tended  for  ;  they  destroyed  entirely  the  phy 
sical  and  moral  force  of  the  British  army,  im 
prisoned  them  within  their  narrow  lines,  and 
prevented  their  excursions.  The  enemy  nev 
er  after  recovered  their  enterprise  and  confi 
dence  in  America,  and  by  this  single  battle 
the  final  success  of  the  American  revolution 
was  secured. 


*  Gentlemen's  Magazine  for  1775,  and  Essex  Gazette, 
13  July,  1775. 


SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER. 


GENERAL  WARD  received  from  the  General 
Congress  the  appointment  of  first  major  gene 
ral  and  second  in  command  of  the  American 
army.  On  the  arrival  of  General  Washington 
at  Cambridge,  he  assumed  the  command  of 
the  right  wing  at  Roxbury,  and  his  general 
disposition  of  the  troops  about  Boston  was 
sanctioned  by  the  approbation  of  the  comman 
der  in  chief.*  From  extreme  ill  health,  he 
resigned  his  commission  in  April,  1776;  but 
notwithstanding  his  resignation  was  accepted, 
at  the  earnest  request  of  Congress  and  Gen 
eral  Washington,  he  continued  in  command, 
near  Boston,  until  the  20th  of  March,  1777. 
He  was  afterward  a  member  of  Congress  un 
der  the  old  confederation  and  present  consti 
tution,  and  died  in  1800,  aged  seventy  three. 

The  life  of  General  Putnam  has  been  de 
tailed  by  abler  hands. 

*  Marshal],  vol.  2,  p.  242. 
23 


262          BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Gftneral  Thomas  was  appointed  first  brig 
adier  general  under  the  United  States,  in 
1776  was  appointed  major  general,  and  on  the 
death  of  Montgomery  repaired  to  Canada  to 
command  the  American  forces  before  Quebec. 
Their  situation  was  nearly  desperate  ;  but  he 
was  too  adventurous  to  relinquish  the  enter 
prise  without  one  attempt  to  secure  the  fa 
vors  of  fortune.  He  endeavoured  to  burn 
the  enemy's  naval  force  before  the  city  by  a 
fire  ship,  intending  to  attack  the  place  during 
the  conflagration  ;  but  the  fire  ship  miscarried, 
and  the  general  was  compelled  to  order  a  re 
treat,  during  which  he  died  of  the  small  pox 
at  Chamblee. 

General  Pomeroy  expressed  his  strong 
sense  of  the  blindness  of  fortune,  that,  of  the 
two  volunteer  generals  in  the  battle,  Warren, 
the  young  and  chivalrous  soldier,  the  eloquent 
and  enlightened  legislator,  should  fall,  and  he 
escape,  old  and  useless,  unhurt.  From  age 
he  declined  the  honorable  appointment  of 
brigadier  general  of  the  United  States  army, 
and  retired  from  service.  But,  like  the  vete 
ran  war  horse,  when  the  echoes  of  his  majestic 
Connecticut  rang  with  the  clarion  of  battle, 
he  spurned  the  peaceful  retreat  which  his 
long  life  and  long  services  demanded.  He 
preferred  even  a  regiment  to  inaction,  and  as 
a  colonel  marched  to  join  the  kindred  spirits 
who  composed  our  army  in  the  Jerseys.  His 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        263 

exposures  produced  a  pleurisy,  which  proved 
fatal  at  Peckskill  in  New  York,  where  his 
country  owes  him  a  monument,  and  bravery 
and  patriotism  perennial  fame. 

When  Putnam  was  ordered  on  what  may 
well  be  styled  a  forlorn  hope,  to  land  at  Bos 
ton  with  a  detachment,  in  face  of  the  army 
and  batteries  of  the  enemy,  Colonel  Prescott 
solicited  of  him  the  honor  of  participating  the 
desperate  undertaking.  But  heaven  frowned 
at  an  excess  of  presumption  which  her  past 
favors  had  encouraged ;  a  violent  hurricane 
arrested  the  enterprise. 

The  colonel  continued  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  accompanied  General  Wash 
ington  to  New  York,  and  on  the  disastrous 
retreat  through  the  Jerseys,  he  alone  was 
able  to  keep  his  men  in  the  ranks.  They 
proved  themselves  worthy  the  hero  of  Bunker 
Hill,  kept  the  enemy  in  respect,  were  exhibit 
ed  to  the  army  as  -an  example  worthy  imita 
tion,  and  the  colonel  received  the  cordial 
thanks  of  Washington  in  general  orders. 

In  1777  he,  with  a  corps  of  volunteers,  join 
ed  General  Gates,  and  served  with  him  till 
victory  crowned  our  arms,  and  Burgoyne?s 
whole  army  was  the  trophy. 


264         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

When  peace  ensued,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  legislature,  and  in  1787  distinguished 
himself  as  a  magistrate  as  he  had  in  1775  as  a 
soldier.  From  the  miseries  and  poverty 
which  succeeded  the  war,  many  of  the  suffer 
ers  were  driven  to  oppose  the  course  of  legal 
authority.  The  enlightened  patriot  employed 
his  potent  influence  to  stay  the  tempestuous 
waves  of  insurrection.  He  collected  his 
friends  and  proceeded  to  Concord  armed  to 
protect  the  court  in  session  there  against  the 
conspirators.  He  lived  to  advanced  age,  and 
we  are  happy  to  add  he  was  a  Christian. 

The  veteran  Colonel  Joseph  Frye,*  who 
had  served  in  the  war  of  1756,  was  at  the 
siege  of  Louisbourg,  and  taken  prisoner  in 
Fort  William  Henry,  immediately  after  the 
battle  the  21st  June,  was  appointed  major 
general  by  the  Provincial  Congress.  He  serv 
ed  some  time  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and 
lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  at  Fryeburgh, 
which  received  its  name  from  his  family. 

Colonel  Gardner  lived  a  few  days  after  the 
battle,  and  on  being  asked  if  he  was  well 
enough  to  see  his  son,  "  yes,"  answered  the 
hero,  "  if  he  has  done  his  duty."  Being  in 
formed  that  he  had  distinguished  himself,  he 

*  Brother  of  Colonel  James  Frye* 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.  265 

saw  him,  and  died  with  the  glorious  consola 
tion  of  leaving  the  invaluable  legacy  of  his 
own  fame  and  his  country's  gratitude  to  a  son 
worthy  to  support  the  honors  of  his  name. 

The  life  of  Major  Brooks  since  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  has  been  far  too  distinguished  in 
the  military  and  political  history  of  America 
to  be  noticed  satisfactorily  in  a  supplement. 
Some  biographer  may  hereafter  confer  on  the 
public,  a  donation  worthy  their  gratitude,  a  dis 
tinct  account  of  this  hero  and  statesman.  But 
this  cannot  be  anticipated  till  the  last  enemy 
of  man  has  overcome  the  amiable  modesty,  for 
which  he  is  equally  distinguished  as  for  all  his 
higher  excellencies,  and  the  requisite  informa 
tion  be  obtained  from  his  papers  which  has 
often  been  solicited  in  vain  from  himself. 

When  General  Washington  arrived  at 
Cambridge  his  regiment  was  distinguished  for 
the  superior  discipline  he  had  introduced,  and 
General  Gates  pronounced  him  one  of  the 
first  disciplinarians  in  service.  He  was  ap 
pointed  first  inspector  of  the  army  under  the 
Baron  Steuben,  and  afterwards  adjutant  gene 
ral  for  the  army  on  the  North  River. 

He  was  distinguished  in  nearly  all  the  im 
portant  battles  of  the  revolution.     He  was  in 
the  battle  on  Long  Island  with  the  reinforce 
ment,  and  in  that  of  White  Plains.     History 
23* 


266         BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE* 

has  recorded  him  among  the  most  distinguish* 
ed  commanders  of  the  army  which  achieved 
the  conquest  of  Burgoyne,  and  he  was  in  the 
battle  of  Monrnouth  as  adjutant  general. 

From  their  earliest  acquaintance  he  was  a 
favorite  of  Washington,  enjoying  his  uniform 
friendship,  and  was  honorably  distinguished, 
by  his  selecting  him,  among  the  seven  generals 
of  his  choice,  to  serve  with  him  in  1798. 

During  the  last  war  he  had  the  superintend- 
ance  of  the  militia  of  Massachusetts,  directed 
the  forces  with  admirable  skill,  and  secured 
the  country  from  inroads  of  the  enemy. 

For  some  years  he  has  been  elected  gover 
nor  and  commander  in  chief  of  the  Common 
wealth  of  Massachusetts,  by  the  voice  of  the 
people,  to  the  universal  satisfaction  of  all  par 
ties.  Over  the  liberties  and  free  constitutions 
he  established  as  a  warrior,  he  now  presides 
as  a  legislator  with  distinguished  ability. 

The  brave  Knowlton,  from  the  first  mo 
ment  of  the  battle  to  the  latest  period  of  the  re 
treat,  showed  himself  worthy  the  distinguish 
ed  honor  of  being  selected  as  the  first  among 
the  Connecticut  captains. 

He  afterwards  received  the  commission  of 
lieutenant  colonel^and  at  the  battle  of  Harlem 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.         267 

Heights,  was  sent  by  Washington  to  get  into 
the  enemy's  rear  ;  a  bloody  action  ensued  ; 
Knovvlton  and  his  men  fought  the  whole  force 
of  the  enemy,  of  vastly  superior  numbers,  be 
fore  the  Americans  could  attack  in  front,  and 
got  the  better  of  them.  He  restored  by  this 
gallant  affair  a  glorious  moral  force  to  the  ar 
my  nearly  extinguished  by  disasters;  but  it 
\vas  at  the  expense  of  many  brave  men  in  the 
unequal  contest ;  his  assistant  officer,  Major 
Latch,  was  slain,  with  three  balls  through  him, 
and  he  himself  reaped  immortal  honor  and  im 
mortal  life  together. 

Washington  paid  due  honors  to  his  memory 
in  general  orders,  and  declared,  "  he  had  died 
"  a  glorious  death,  which  every  soldier  ought 
"  to  wish  for,  and  would  have  been  an  honor 
u  to  any  country  on  earth." 

T-he  same  indignation  felt  by  Colonel  Pres- 
cott,  at  the  loss  of  the  battle,  was  general  in  the 
army,  and  throughout  the  country  ;  a  scruti 
ny,  most  severe  arid  unrelenting,  was  instituted 
into  the  conduct  of  every  one,  to  bring  con 
dign  punishment  on  those  whose  misconduct 
had  caused  the  final  issue.  Even  Colonel 
Bridge,  notwithstanding  the  severity  of  his  la- 
bors,and  the  dangerous  and  honorable  wounds 
he  received,  had  to  pass  the  ordeal  of  a  court 
martial. 


2(38  BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

Notwithstanding  this  inquisitorial  research, 
we  are  happy  to  add,  cut  of  near  three  thou 
sand,  who,  at  different  stages  of  the  battle, 
must  have  been  engaged  in  it,  and  most  of 
them  for  the  first  time,  four  only  were  discov 
ered  guilty  of  misconduct.  Of  these,  Major 
Gridley  was  tried  for  neglect  of  duty,  Briga 
dier  General  Green  being  president  of  the 
court,  which  "  find  him  guilty  of  breach  of 
"  orders,  Ad  therefore  dismiss  him  from  the 
"  Massachusetts  service;  but  on  account  of  his 
"inexperience  and  youth,  and  the  great  ccnfu- 
"  sion  which  attended  that  day's  transaction  in 
"  general,  they  do  not  consider  him  incapable 
"  of  a  Continental  commission,  should  the  gen- 
"eral  officers  recommend  him  to  his  Excel- 
"  lency." 

Colonel  Mansfield  was  obviously  guilty  of 
an  error  only  arising  from  inexperience.  Two 
only  were  found  guilty  of  cowardice ;  of  these 
Colonel  Gerrish  was  certainly  guilty  of  a  want 
of  military  ardor  and  activity,  but  this  was  a 
constitutional  defect.  He  was  not  accused  be 
fore  the  committee  of  Congress  by  General 
Putnam,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  the  very  re 
spectable  judge  advocate  who  tried  him,  and 
who  yet  lives,  he  was  far  too  harshly  treated. 

The  only  officer  apparently  guilty  of  cow 
ardice,  Captain  Caliender,  is  a  glorious  in 
stance  of  the  buoyancy  of  real  New  England 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        269 

heroism,  and  the  redeeming  efficacy  of  a  pure 
conscience,  a  mind  conscious  of  rectitude. 
The  furious  denunciation  of  Putnam,  the  con 
demnation  of  the  court,  and  thundering  pro 
scription  of  Washington,  would  have  crushed 
any  one  forever,  who  was  armed  with  a  pano 
ply  less  divine. 

A  committee  of  Congress  was  appointed  to 
inquire  into  the  truth  of  a  report,  that  some 
officers  of  the  army  had  been  guilty  of  mis 
conduct  ;  they  report,  that  they  had  made  in 
quiry  of  General  Putnam  and  other  officers, 
who  were  in  the  hottest  of  the  battle,  and  tiiat 
the  general  charged  Captain  Callender  and 
another  artillery  officer,  with  infamous  cow 
ardice,  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  de 
feat,  and  informed  them  that  he  would  quit 
the  service  if  these  officers  were  not  made  an 
example  of,  and  that  one  of  them  ought  to  be 
shot.  The  court  martial  condemned  Captain 
Callender,  and  General  Washington  approved 
the  judgment,  "  not  only  from  the  particular 
"  guilt  of  Captain  Callender,  but  the  fatal 
"consequence  of  such  a  conduct  to  the  army, 
"  and  to  the  cause  of  America  in  general.'"' 

Notwithstanding  this,  our  hero  resolved  to 
compel  the  world  to  acknowledge,  by  his  fu 
ture  conduct,  that  his  past  had  heen  mistaken. 
He  continued  with  his  corps  as  a  volunteer, 
and  desperately  exposed  himself  in  every  ac- 


270  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

tion.    The  brave  and  beneficent  General  Knox 
extended  to  him  his  friendship. 

At  the  battle  on  Long  Island,  the  captain 
and  lieutenant  of  the  company  of  artillery, 
with  which  he  served,  were  shot;  he  assumed 
the  command,  and  fought  the  pieces  to  the 
last;  refused  to  retreat,  and  the  bayonets  of 
the  soldiers  were  just  upon  him,  when  a  Brit 
ish  officer,  admiring  his  chivalrous  and  des 
perate  courage,  interfered  and  saved  his  life. 

General  Washington  expressed  his  high  ap 
probation  of  his  conduct,  gave  him  his  hand 
with  his  most  cordial  thanks;  ordered  the  sen 
tence  of  the  court  martial  condemning  him, 
to  be  erased  from  the  orderly  book,  and  re 
stored  to  him  his  commission.  He  held  his 
commission  during  the  war,  and  left  the  ser 
vice  at  the  peace,  with  the  highest  honor  and 
reputation. 

Captain  Dearborn  was  afterwards  highly 
distinguished  during  the  revolutionary  war 
for  his  bravery  and  enterprise.  He  volunteer-- 
ed  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  men,  selected 
from  the  regiment  to  accompany  Arnold,  in 
the  winter  of  1775,  through  the  trackless 
wilds,  to  Quebec;  an  enterprise,  which,  in  dar 
ing,  hardihood  and  courage,  is  not  surpassed 
by  the  immortal  passage  of  the  Alps  by  Han 
nibal.  He  was  major  of  a  battalion  of  light 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        271 

infantry  at  Saratoga,  and  his  services  were  ac 
knowledged  by  Gates  in  the  highest  terms  of 
approbation.  Cilley's  regiment,  of  which  he 
was  lieutenant  colonel,  was  the  most  distin 
guished  corps  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and 
the  salvation  of  the  army  was  owing  to  their 
heroic  courage.  General  Washington  ac 
knowledged  the  service,  and  sent  to  inquire 
what  regiment  it  was.  "  Full  blooded  yarikees 

"by sir,"  was  the  answer  of  Dearborn. 

He  was  afterwards  secretary  at  war  appoint 
ed  by  Mr.  Jefferson  ;  and  during  the  last  war 
was  the  first  major  general  and  senior  officer 
of  the  American  army. 

Porter,  the  promising  artillerist,  who  stood 
by  his  piece  and  his  captain  to  the  last,  has 
since  then  risen  through  every  grade  of  office 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general  in  the  army, 
to  which  he  has  ever  since  belonged  ;  and  has 
maintained  an  uniform  and  distinguished  repu 
tation  as  one  of  the  first  artillery  officers  in 
service.  The  important  post  of  Norfolk  was 
entrusted  to  his  command  the  last  war,  and  he 
is  now  stationed  at  Boston  in  command  of  the 
very  district  which  he  so  bravely  contributed 
to  defend  in  1775. 

General  Howe,  notwithstanding  his  wound, 
remained  on  the  field  the  whole  night,  watch 
ing  the  enemy's  movements,  and  protecting 
his  own  position ;  supporting  himself  against 


272        BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

some  hay,  he  ordered  his  attendants  to  pre 
vent  him  from  falling  asleep. 

The  morning  after  the  battle,  a  young  gen 
tleman  from  Boston  went  on  the  ground,  and 
recognized  the  body  of  Warren,  and  mention 
ed  the  fact.  General  Howe  would  not  credit 
the  account ;  it  was  too  improbable  that  the 
president  of  Congress  was  in  the  battle.  One 
of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of  that  or  the 
present  day,  and  yet  living  in  Boston,  was  on 
the  field ;  he  had  gone  over  during  the  battle 
to  dress  the  British  wounded,  and  was  yet 
dressing  them  and  the  wounded  American  pris 
oners,  with  his  usual  humanity  and  skill.  Gen 
eral  Howe  asked  him  if  he  could  identify  Doctor 
Warren ;  he  recollected  the  doctor  had  lost  a 
finger  nail  and  wore  a  false  tooth,  and  inform 
ed  the  general  that  Doctor  Warren  had  five 
days  before  ventured  over  to  Boston  in  a  ca 
noe  to  get  information,  invited  him  to  join  the 
American  troops  as  surgeon,  and  informed 
him  that  he  was  himself  to  receive  a  commis 
sion  in  the  army.  General  Warren  was  in 
stantly  recognized,  and  Howe  declared  this 
victim  alone  was  worth  five  hundred  of  his 
men. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE.        273 


Omitted  pages  92  and  93. 
Immediately  after  the  battle,  the  rank  of 
major  general  was  conferred  on  Colonel  Grid- 
ley. 

America  commenced  her  revolution  with 
but  four  pieces  of  cannon,  and  to  his  mechani 
cal  science  and  ingenuity  she  was  indebted 
for  the  first  mortars  and  cannon  ever  cast  in 
the  country. 

After  being  confined  some  months  by  his 
wound,  he  repaired  to  Cambridge  and  super 
intended  the  fortifications  erecting  round  Bos 
ton.  On  the  4th  March,  1776,  he  was  again 
engaged  in  erecting  fortifications  in  the  night, 
and  the  address,  science  and  prodigies  of  la 
bor,  displayed  at  Dorchester  Heights,  were 
perhaps  never  exceeded,  except  on  Breed's 
Hill.  These  works  expelled  the  enemy  from 
Boston.  General  Gridley  fortified  the  heights 
of  this  place  and  the  islands  in  the  harbor, 
and  General  Washington  urged  him  to  ac 
company  the  army,  but  his  advanced  age  for 
bad.  He  retired  on  half  pay.  In  1795  he 
assisted  in  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the 
state  house,  as  he  had  in  1775  to  lay  the 
corner  stone  of  the  state,  and  lived  in  re 
markable  health  to  the  age  of  eighty  six,  a 
model  of  courtliness,  beneficence  and  hospi- 

24 


274  BUNKER    HILL    BATTLE. 

tality,  as  well  as  all  the  high  perfections  of  a 
soldier. 

Colonel  Stark  will  be  recognised  as  the  he 
ro  of  Bennington,  but  it  is  not  so  generally 
known  that  he  employed  an  ingenious  and 
successful  expedient  to  strike  a  panic  into  the 
enemy  and  assist  him  in  achieving  his  glorious 
victory.  He  had  one  iron  cannon,  but  neither 
powder  sufficient  to  employ  it,  nor  balls ;  he 
ordered  an  officer,  however,  to  charge  it,  wjao 
objected  the  want  of  balls  ;  "no  matter,"  said 
the  colonel,  "  load  it  with  blank  cartridge,  and 
"let  the  discharge  be  the  signal  for  all  the 
"  troops  to  rush  on  the  enemy."  The  Hes 
sians  were  panic-struck  at  the  thundering  re 
port,  his  troops  rushed  on  with  loud  hurray 
and  the  victory  was  complete* 


ERRATA. 


Page  272,  line  4,  after  "gentleman  from 
Boston"  add  the  following  note. 

General  Winslow,  yet  living.  Another 
friend  of  the  author,  yet  living,  was  within 
six  feet  of  Warren  when  he  fell,  and  received 
himself  a  ball  through  the  thigh. 

Page  183,  1.  \l,read  Major  Box,  an  experi 
enced,  &c.  P.  202,  1.  2,  for  defence,  read 
defensive.  P.  211,  1.  17,  for  side,  on  front, 
read  side,  or  front.  P.  222,  1.  4  from  bottom, 
for  spare,  read  sparse.  P.  233, 1.  14,ybr  huzza, 
read  hurra.  P.  263,  1.  2,  for  Peckskill,  read 
Peekskill,  P.  267, 1. 1 1  ,/or  Latch,  read Leitch. 
P.  189,  1.  4  from  bottom,  omit  his.  P.  199, 
].  3  from  bottom,  omit  and.  P.  272,  1.  3 
from  bottom,/or  Howe,  read  the  enemy.  P. 
183,  1.  18,  for  two,  read  four.  P.  221, 1.  19,  af 
ter  Boston,  insert  the  principal  part  of.  Same 
page,  1.  28,  erase  a  large  portion  of.  P.  258, 
I.  15,/or  Provincial,  read  Providence.  P.  257r 
L  22,  after  killed,  add  and  missing. 


276         BUXKER  HILL  BATTLE. 

We  neglected  to  mention  that  Honorable 
James  Wmthrop,  and  James  Swan,  Esquire, 
accompanied  the  reinforcements  to  Breed's 
Hill,  with  their  muskets,  as  volunteers,  fought 
valiantly,  and  the  former  was  wounded. 


NOTE.  The  author  was  necessarily  absent 
from  town  during  the  whole  time  the  work 
was  in  the  press. 


THE  END. 


(S2700L) 


VB  37307 


/ 


